At War with Nature
by SackDantOur
Summary: I wasn't strong enough to protect Orario, and as a result the city crumbled and died, vanishing in a sea of flames, everyone I'd ever loved following soon after. I did gain the necessary strength eventually though, but by then it was far too late. So when an opportunity to go back and do it all again presented itself, I took it, and this time, strength would not be an issue.
1. All Over Again

**_Full Synopsis:_** 'Not strong enough.' It was the story of my life. I wasn't strong enough to protect Orario, and as a result the city crumbled and died, vanishing in a sea of flames, everyone I'd ever loved following soon after. I did gain the necessary strength eventually though, but by then it was far too late. So when an opportunity to go back and do it all again presented itself, of course I was going to take it, and this time, strength would not be an issue.

* * *

 ** _Chapter 1 – All Over Again_**

 ** _Posted: 24 April - 2018_**

 ** _Last updated: 16 May - 2018_**

* * *

It was a day like any other; or at least it was supposed to have been, because it was the first time around, but this time – the second time – something changed. The alteration wasn't small either. No, it was massive, because while largely unnoticed by the populace as a whole, the change spanned across such immense spaces that no mortal would be able to even comprehend the astronomical distances involved.

Everything changed, not just the people but the gods to, all except _him_ ; or at least that's how things came across from his perspective. If you were to ask the rest of the world instead, however, he was the one who changed.

The boy didn't look any different. He was the same in every way, or at least he was on the surface, but inside something fundamental changed; something tied to the very base of his soul. Not that anyone knew him well enough at this point to tell in what way though, and perhaps that was for the best. The boy had great things to accomplish, after all, and for that he needed to remain mostly incognito.

* * *

The first thing I saw was a strong, white light that penetrated my retinas. A second later I opened my eyes, staring numbly at the sunlight entering the room through the open window. I looked down at my hands which were much smaller than I remembered, before moving them up to my face, touching the skin which were much too soft if taking into account the countless months I had spent in the deep floors of the Dungeon, as well as the scars I'd received while holding back hordes upon hordes of monsters.

2 years. That's how long I had been fighting, and against all odds, I continued to survive. Wave after wave I tackled, obtaining wounds that should have rightfully killed me, but for some reason the life inside my body persisted. Many others weren't as lucky. Brave men and women fighting impossible odds, dying by the thousands.

The ordinary monsters weren't the real threat though. No, that honor belonged to the Celestials. Humongous beasts possessing divine power – the champions of the Dungeon if you will – retaining within them the kind of raw strength to chatter entire communities with a single swing of whatever constituted as their limbs. They were monsters without equal, and as time went on they only grew bigger and stronger. The last one I fought must have been at the very least level 11, and as I had just recently reached level 9, there had been quite the gap between us. I still couldn't believe I'd survived that encounter, but then again that was mostly because of all the people who had sacrificed themselves for me, so that I could deliver the final blow. Bete had been one of the last to fall, unyielding and loyal until the very end.

I stretched in the soft bed – absentmindedly noting that I could barely remember the last time I had slept in one – before sitting up. I twisted, planting both feet on the wooden floor and standing up. The room was small, cubical and mostly made out of hard wood, with cracks and splinters in the ceiling. It was the kind of room I might have considered claustrophobic once upon a time; before sleeping on the floor of a rocky dungeon became the norm.

I tried taking a step forward, and promptly realized something was wrong. Not with the surroundings but with my body. First of all it took actual effort to push myself forward, the movement draining far more power from my body than it had any right to. Secondly, my body felt sluggish, rigid and just horribly slow. I thrust my fist against the closest wall, expecting the weak structure to give way immediately, but instead the wall remained stubbornly sturdy while pain raised up my arm. Yes, _pain_. I felt pain after hitting wood. _Wood!_

 _'Oh…'_ Honestly, I'm embarrassed it took so long for the revelation to hit me. _'I'm ridiculously weak.'_ Of course I would be, since this body didn't have a falna, but the realization still left me feeling uncomfortable and strangely unsure of myself. When you were used to being able to shatter rocks – no scratch that; able to shatter adamantite and obliterate rocks – with a single strike, the knowledge that a single light blow to the head could potentially kill you would put anyone on edge.

Oh well. At this point in my life I hadn't made much in the way of enemies, so for now I would most likely be safe; couldn't get attacked by enemies you hadn't made yet.

Walking up to a nearby mirror I stared at the reflection, and the reflection – that was much too young – stared back. I'd done it! I'd actually done it.

Time travel. It was such a ridiculous concept, yet, as I stared into a reflection that belonged to a much younger version of myself, I had undeniable proof that it was not only possible, but that I'd achieved it. I had travel back in time, fleeing a world that was all but dead; everyone I loved long gone. I was still occupying _my_ body, only eight years younger.

I started getting dressed, putting on the baggy but none the less comfortable clothes. Checking my pockets I retrieved a small pouch, which I promptly emptied on the nearby table. I creased my eyebrows in slight disappointment. One thousand and five hundred valis. That was barely enough to get by, and it certainly wouldn't last more than a few days. The first time I traveled to Orario I could remember that I had used up almost all my savings by the time I reached the large city, but it was still startling to realize just how quickly I had drained the money grandpa gave me. I had bet everything when I left for Orario, and honestly, had Hestia not accepted me I would have most likely ended up a homeless beggar on the street. Well, there was always Ganesh, who accepted pretty much any adventurer who wanted to join. Hermes would have most likely accepted me as well; after he realized who I was, and then there was Freya, who would have accepted me with open arms… and wasn't that a scary thought.

Half an hour later I had exited the run down hotel I was staying at, and was making my way around the town. It was called Mirfield and was located approximately two days from Orario by horse carriage. The town wasn't exactly large, and like the hotel I had been staying at; mostly run down. The only part of the town that could be considered even remotely undamaged was the main building where the Mayor lived. It was a common story really. Out of the way towns like this one generally didn't fare well when it came to things like riches, and whatever small amounts of money the town's populace managed to collect, the people in power generally horded for themselves.

I sighed. The money I had left wouldn't be enough to stay in this town for very long, but it would be enough to hire a driver that could take me to Orario. The ride wouldn't be comfortable though, not that that was a problem.

I looked up towards the sun to determine the time. By my estimation I had travel back in time by approximately eight years. Probably a little more than that since this younger version of myself had yet to reach Orario. God, it had only been eight years, yet it felt like an eternity. So much had happened, so many lives had been taken. It was almost strange how quickly things had started going downhill after the first Celestial was released. I had been too weak at the time to provide anything substantial to the battle force sent to stop the powerful behemoth; the Loki Familia doing most of the work. I wouldn't be as helpless this time however. By the time the Dungeon decided to start throwing its weight around, I would make sure I was metaphorically heavy enough to crush it beneath me.

* * *

A barren land. No trees, no water or grass. Only sand, stretching as far as the eye could see. The vegetation would pick up again I knew, about 6 kilometers from Orario, but it was still startling to realize just how quickly the scenery could change in just a few hours.

I was sitting in the back of a horse carriage, absentmindedly studying the scenery while the brown spotted horse at the front continued pulling us forward at a slow pace.

When I say us, I'm referring to me and the driver; a kind-looking man with wrinkles on his elderly face. His name was Concord, which in his home tongue meant something along the lines of, 'quietness' or 'stillness'. I knew this because he'd told me, along with a few other tidbits of information such as what his favorite tea was, as well as why he insisted on never wearing a hat.

He was the kind of happy go lucky person who liked to talk about absolutely everything, and who expected everyone else to be just as outgoing and chatty. I'd tried commenting on the irony of his personality compared to the meaning of his name, but I don't think he understood my meaning. I didn't manage to get my point across.

"…so, enough about me," the old man laughed before he continued. "Why are you traveling to Orario? Want to become an adventurer?" I was about to answer but before I could he decided to add something. "No. You _are_ an adventurer. You've got the soul and will of one, I can tell. Second time in Orario then?"

He could tell? That surprised me to a degree, because while I supposed it was possible to notice a change in the way I carried myself and acted, at this point in time I certainly didn't look like much of a fighter. My body had next to no muscle, skin fair without a single scar anywhere. This body did not belong to an experienced adventurer, which made it quite impressive that the old man could tell I was one. Or maybe it was just a wild guess, considering the talkative and almost hyper nature of Concord that was definitely a possibility. I decided to answer with the truth; leaving out the parts about time travel of course. "Ah… yes, this is the second time I visit Orario."

"What made you leave?"

That was quite the personal question. But to be fair Concord couldn't exactly know that. "I… lost a lot of people once. Decided I needed a fresh start."

"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that. Then why are you returning now?"

I sighed slightly before righting myself in the carriage. "No offence, but I'd rather not talk about it. The memories might not be fresh but they're still not exactly pleasant."

The old man widened his eyes as if he'd just come to a startling realization after which he raised his arms in a disarming gesture. "My apologies. People have told me before that I have a tendency of asking too personal questions of the people I meet. I did not mean to reopen old wounds…"

"It's okay." I said and meant it. I could tell the elderly man didn't have any bad intentions. He was just the curious type. "I know you didn't mean anything by it."

He smiled, wrinkled face lighting up. "You are too kind. Though I must say it really hurts to see someone so young with such fresh scars. For what it's worth I truly am sorry, and hope you find what you are looking for."

I nodded and smiled, not because I was particularly happy but simply because I wanted to assure him I was fine.

We continued along the rocky, barren road, exchanging small talk along the way. Well, to be honest Concord was the one who did most of the talking, while I mostly just nodded and added small opinions of my own when I felt it necessary. The time I had spent in the Dungeon had left me somewhat socially impaired and out of touch with the world ** _._** Honestly this was the longest conversation I'd had with someone for over seven years. Frankly, it was a novel experience, if somewhat forced.

"It's started to get dark. It's time we set up shop for the night."

I turned towards the sun which had just recently disappeared over the horizon. I would have probably continued a little longer had I been traveling by myself; but then again, I didn't have night vision anymore so maybe it was a good idea to stop before it got too dark. "Yes. Let's."

* * *

Falling asleep, turns out, was easier said than done. Sleep in the Dungeon had never been easy. Under no circumstances could you be sure an area in the Dungeon would be completely safe, as monsters literally spawned from the walls themselves. It helped when adventurers took shifts staying awake to keep guard, but still the very real possibility of getting your face bitten of in your sleep remained. You never truly slept. Especially after the Celestials started spawning, sleep was really more of a rare commodity you could only afford a few times every week, and you never slept more than a few hours. Obviously one never slept soundly either – always with one eye open. It wasn't exactly strange I had been conditioned to wake at the slightest sound, and as it turns out I woke just as easily now outside the deathtrap.

The thing is; you could more or less expect any sound originating from within the Dungeon to belong to a recently spawned monster, so waking at the slightest sound made sense. This was not the case out here, in the open, however. I had woken up a half a dozen times to the sound of sticks breaking, sands shifting, and even by the wind itself, and every time I woke it took hours to fall asleep again. It was ironic that I had an easier time sleeping in the deathtrap that was the Dungeon, then I had sleeping outside, beneath the blue sky.

By my estimations I had just barely managed to secure myself four hours of sleep, which normally wouldn't have been very bad by the standards of my old body. This body, however, did not have the blessings of a falna, and therefore needed far more rest than I was used to, which was something that became evident when the sun started to rise on the horizon and Concord told me it was time to start moving again. My eyes were heavy, I had a light headache, and when I tried to stand my body felt like it was moving through quicksand. I had always known the falna effected the amount of rest the body needed, but I'd never realized it was to such a degree.

"Are you okay, young man?" Concord must have noticed my tired state as he studied me with concerned eyes. "We don't need to start moving immediately. Do you need another hour of sleep?"

"No, no, let us keep moving." I most likely wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. Plus, I wanted to reach Orario as soon as possible.

* * *

A few hours later I parted ways with Concord as Orario wasn't actually his end goal but simply a place on the way to his destination, and as I didn't want him to go too far out of his way, I decided I could walk the rest of the way. I needed the workout anyway.

I trekked slowly forward, because if I didn't I quickly ran out of breath, which was a unique, not to mention strange experience. Running out of breath from quick walking; this body was ridiculously untrained, which was something I would remedy as soon as I got the chance.

I was surrounded by green in all directions, the sand dunes having been replaced by grass and trees of various sizes. In the distance I could just barely hint the large, cylindrical structure that was Orario's majestic outer wall. I was actually surprised at its size for a moment, which would normally have been strange considering I had spent quite a lot of time inside the city. When taking into account the damage it had suffered over the years, however, my confusion was understandable. The last time I'd seen the wall – during my previous timeline – it had looked less like a massive wall and more like a circular pile of rubble. Guess I'd forgotten what the city actually looked like since it'd never been rebuilt after its destruction.

I sighed. Entering the city would most likely take a while.

* * *

Turns out I was wrong. Entering the city was revealed to be way easier than I had originally anticipated. No tricky forms to sign or unnecessarily complex steps to take. Only, "who are you?" and, "Business or pleasure?" after which I was granted access into the large city. I wasn't sure what I expected. I could remember one time I had wanted to leave Orario, after Hestia's death, and I could also remember how difficult the Guild had made the process for me. It made sense, I supposed. Back then (in the future?), I had been one of the most powerful adventurers in the city – in the world really – so it did stand to reason that the Guild would want me to remain behind city walls. If taking this into account it made a certain amount of sense that entering the city would be much easier then exiting.

Orario was the center of the world, home to some of the most powerful Familias. These Familias in turn were one of the Guild's foremost sources of income as well as the city's main battle force. The difficulty of exiting Orario would most likely increase dramatically if the adventurer who wanted to leave was high-leveled or belonged to a powerful Familia.

The same logic could be applied to gods in charge of powerful Familias. Hermes was probably the only one who was allowed to come and go as he pleased, and that was only because the Guild literally couldn't stop him even if they wanted to.

In short, the Guild didn't mind people entering but was much more carful regarding who was allowed to leave, and while this restriction was slightly irritating, it honestly wasn't particularly relevant in the end. I had no intention of leaving any time soon.

Walking through the town square, it was mostly how I remembered it. Colorful stalls of all sizes, selling everything from simple food to potions to building materials. The town center was bustling with people and activity, the throng being pushed in all directions.

I was walking through the square, now and again turning my head in various directions. To a stranger I most likely looked like a lost tourist, confused trying to find a well-known landmark. That wasn't to say I didn't have a destination in mind. I was, however, having some trouble locating the run down church where Hestia lived.

What? The church had burned down during the early days when I was still only level 2. Was it really that strange I was having trouble finding a house I hadn't seen in over 7 years?

 _'Hm, I'm sure it was in this directi…'_ I stopped in my tracks when the aroma washed over me, and immediately I was hit by a sense of nostalgia. I remained rooted to the spot for a few seconds, the gears in my brain turning as it tried to place the smell, as well as the memories attached to the nostalgic fragrance. Soon I was walking again, allowing my nose to guide me as I moved forward at a brisk pace. I zigzagged in between buildings and alleyways, the sweet smell only getting stronger and therefore completely sure I was moving in the right direction.

I continued through a particularly narrow alleyway, past a few smaller buildings before emerging on the other side… and there she was, handing a pastry over to an elderly woman, large smile attached to her rosy lips. The nostalgic fragrance obviously belonged to the many cakes and pastries – the Jagamarukun possessing the most prominent smell – covering the young woman, one of the pastry carts taller than the saleswoman in question.

In that moment a multitude of emotions assaulted me at once; joy and protectiveness amongst the most prominent, but the emotion occupying the most space must have been guilt. I knew she would never have blamed me, but that didn't change the fact I'd failed to protect her when she really needed me. Failed her like I had so many others. She was the goddess that had taken me in; the one who had protected me with her blessing and – in the end – given her life so that I could live. I was the one who was supposed to have protected her, not the other way around.

I felt as something hot and ugly started boiling in the pit of my stomach and suddenly the guilt was replaced by purpose and determination. Life had given me a second try and this time I wasn't going to screw it up. I wouldn't fail her this time. I would make sure they _all_ survived.

I walked up to the small number of customers, who were all waiting patiently in line, and placed myself at the tail end. No reason to cut in line.

Hestia – the goddess of domesticity, family and home – had decided to visit the lower world approximately half a year ago. Without money or a place over her head she'd asked her old friend Hephaestus to provide a place to stay. The goddess of the forge had allowed it for a time, but as Hestia continued to – to use Hephaestus' own words – sponge of her generosity, Hestia was eventually kicked out on the street again. Hephaestus had been kind enough to provide Hestia with a small home – a church to be precise – but she still needed money for food, which was why she was now running this small pastry stand.

I waited patiently for my turn but when the person in front of me accepted a steaming Jagamarukun before ruffling my goddess's hair like one might a child I couldn't help but chuckle. She turned to me with what she most likely assumed to be an angry scowl but which looked more like a slight pout; about as intimidating as an angry kitten.

Blush in place, she growled. "W-what's so funny?"

I couldn't help it; I laughed even harder, while at the same time a wave of fondness washed over me, and suddenly I was overcome by a strange and irrational will to envelop her in a hug. I managed to hold back the impulse however, because while Hestia had certainly been… _affectionate_ back when we lived together, I still somehow doubted she would appreciate being given a bear hug out of nowhere by a complete stranger.

"Sorry." I said, smile still in place. "It just looked so out of place seeing a goddess patted on the head."

"Yeah… I don't know why people keeps treating me like a kid..."

It most likely had something to do with her height. She was more than one head shorter than me, making her one of the smallest goddesses in Orario. This in turn had granted her the nickname 'Loli Goddess', or as some of the gods had so elegantly decided to name her, 'the Oppai Loli Goddess'; she was bigger in… um… _other_ areas, but that was beside the point.

I knew Hestia was a little insecure about her height however, so I didn't comment on it.

"So… what type of pastry are you after?" Hestia asked, the glum aura around her disappearing without a trace.

"A Jagamarukun please." I said without giving it much thought. I did want to taste the sweet pastry again after so long but at the same time I wasn't exactly here for the cakes.

"Coming right up." Hestia answered. "So… you're new to Orario right? Haven't seen you before." She paused, hesitating with an unsure expression on her face. "I was just wondering…"

I heard sighing all around the stall, as people shook their heads with amused expressions. Apparently this was a recurring theme. I had an inkling as to what Hestia wanted to ask of course. Before meeting me she'd had quite the difficulty recruiting adventurers into her Familia. As a new goddess not many mortals knew of her, and because she had nothing to her name and nothing to offer – like the protection of a powerful Familia like Ganesh's, or merely access to simple potions like a member of Miach's Familia – adventurers weren't exactly jumping on the chance to join her. Before meeting me she'd tried recruiting adventurers for the last few months without much luck, and quite understandably, she'd started getting desperate.

I turned to Hestia whose cheeks had turned a light shade of red; most likely because of the many disapproving looks she received from the people around her, not to mention that it must have been quite humiliating to constantly get turned down by every adventurer she asked. "Would you like to join my Familia!?" She blurted out.

I didn't hesitate. "Okay."

"I know you probably don't know about me but I _am_ still a goddess, and although I might not be very well known I'm still…" She paused in her rambling, eyes going wide with her mouth forming a perfect 'O'. She looked absolutely flabbergasted.

The rush of satisfaction I felt had nothing to do with her expression… or it did, but not like that. It wasn't Schadenfreude, mind you. She looked like a kitten that had just gotten a rug pulled out from under it, that is to say; she looked absolutely adorable.

Hestia managed to pull herself out of her stupor. "W-what did you just say?"

"I said okay. I'd like to join your Familia."

"Y-you sure?"

I almost rolled my eyes but managed to hold back the impulse. "Wasn't that why you asked? Do you not want me to?"

Hestia still seemed slightly shell-shocked but she recovered quickly enough. "No, no, no! Of course I do. I didn't expect you to say yes. I-I was just surprised" She then widened her eyes. "I don't even know your name! I-I'm Hestia."

"I'm Bell Cranel." I said, offering her my hand. "Please take care of me, Hestia-sama."

Hestia looked surprised down at my hand – of course it wasn't a rule but most mortals greeted gods and goddesses by bowing – before taking it in hers. "Please take care of me as well. And welcome to my newly founded Familia."

Her smile was radiant.


	2. Second Blessing

**_Chapter 2 – Second Blessing_**

 ** _Posted: 16 May - 2018_**

 ** _Last Updated: 17 May - 2018_**

* * *

The gods blessing or, the falna, could be considered a simple source of power, but to me it was so much more. It represented my will, my experiences, as well as my values. It also represented my bound to Hestia; her hopes and dreams.

The power came from her after all.

I might have been the one to gather exilia – life experiences in other words – but she was the one who could convert and mold these experiences into power, which allowed me to grow.

Either way, it felt good to have the falna back. It was difficult to put into words and honestly, I hadn't really noticed it until now, but after going eight years with the falna's continued presence, losing it had disturbed me more than I first realized.

It felt good to have it back, and I really could _feel_ it, coursing through my body, containing within unlimited potential. It was strange really, because when I first received the falna all those years ago, I hadn't been able to sense it like I was doing now. I had spent years with the falna on my back before I started being able to sense its influence and power, which was why I had expected it to take about the same amount of time for this body to reach a similar level of control. This did not seem to be the case however, which was strange since I could clearly tell I was only level one, and should therefore not have access to such an advanced sensing skill.

This must mean my ability to sense the falna and its divinity was directly tied to my mind, since the psyche – my awareness to be precise – was what moved back in time, the skill to sense divinity somehow following along. This was good, because it meant that while I had reverted back to level one, I wasn't starting over completely from scratch. The possibility was very much real that I had managed to retain more of my old skills from my previous timeline, which would also explain the dumbfounded expression on Hestia's face, as she stared with large, unblinking eyes down at the piece of paper that had my stats written on it, shock and confusion written all over her face.

"Um… Hestia-sama?" She had been quiet for a while and honestly, I had started getting worried. "Are you okay?"

"Three skills…" She mumbled.

"What?"

"You have three skills, one spell, and one development ability. And you're only level one." Her voice had a dangerous, panicked quality to it. "How is that even possible?"

"May I see?" I asked, holding out my hand.

Hestia nodded, still seeming shell-shocked, before handing the small piece of paper over to me.

 ** _-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-_**

 ** _Bell Cranel – Level 1_**

Strength: 0 (I)

Endurance: 0 (I)

Dexterity: 0 (I)

Agility: 0 (I)

Magic: 0 (I)

Mystery (I)

 ** _*Skills*_**

-Liaris Freese-

Dramatically increases growth rate. Effects are determined by the will and feelings of the user.

-Argonaut-

Allows the user to charge an active action. Power increases with length of charge.

-Almiraj Summon-

Summons a swarm of Almiraj that follows the user's command.

 ** _*Magic*_**

-Prometheus-

 ** _-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-_**

Huh… that was better than expected. I even had a development ability to bot, not to mention it was the most useful one.

The skills made sense I guess, as they all defined me in one way or another, but what really drew my attention was the spell I had access to. 'Prometheus', uh. It was an evolved version of the 'Fire Bolt' spell, and while I couldn't remember exactly when I'd acquired it the first time, I could remember my level had been quite high; at least level ten. That the advanced spell would just spontaneously appear at level one seemed very unlikely.

One possible explanation was that since magic was directly tied to the mind, the fire spell had somehow followed me back in time, the same way I assumed some of my skills had. Still, that didn't explain why only one spell had followed me to this time, as – during my prime – I had access to almost 20 different spells.

Perhaps it had something to do with my closeness to the spell. Ever since having acquired my very first incantation from the Grimoire, fire had always been one of those elements I could constantly count on. I used the 'Fire Bolt' spell as a trump card against everyone I fought – monsters and humans alike – and as I grew stronger, so did my magic power; as did the spell itself. After a while I started being able to directly create and manipulate flames instead of simply triggering a wave of fire, after which the spell changed name and became so much stronger.

'Prometheus' was my most powerful magical ability, as well as the one I had the most mastery over, having spent more than six years perfecting. If any spell could be considered a part of me, it was definitely this one, which would explain why it was the only spell to follow from my previous timeline.

Of course I couldn't know if this was actually the case, but it did make a certain amount of sense.

My eyes moved up to the skills section instead.

Liaris Freese also made sense I suppose. It was as much a part of me as the fire spell, defining me in a way that no other skill could.

Much could be said about the source of my strength; some would say it was my fighting style, while others would say it was the god-like items I crafted which made the real difference. It was hard to argue, however, that I would never have reached the same heights had I not possessed this single skill. It drew energy from my will, basically converting my emotions into fuel, which was then used to power Liaris Freese, boosting my growth rate by a – quite frankly – ridiculous degree.

The skill's ability to gather exilia was obvious considering I'd beaten Ais's record by such a large margin, reaching level 2 in 1/12 of the time it had taken her; and before I came along, she had been the record holder.

Liaris Freese also had the unique ability of basically creating skills, based on my preferences. Of course I hadn't been aware of it at the time, but 'Argonaut' was an excellent, early example of this. As childish as it sounded, my will to be a hero was one of my main drives as a young boy, and as time went on this desire never truly abated, which was why I'd received a skill whose name basically translated to 'Heroic Action.'

My other skills could also be considered defining in one way or another… no, I take that back, _that_ skill didn't define me in any way.

As my eyes landed on the final skill written on the paper, I couldn't help but let out a soft agonized growl. Oh, come on! Out of all the others, _that_ just had to be the one to follow me through time. Really?

"What's the matter?" Hestia asked, still looking a little bewildered, yet present enough to notice my mood.

"No-nothing!" I yelped quickly trying to hide the paper only for Hestia to take it from me.

Her eyes hovered over the spot on the paper I had been staring at only moments earlier, before moving back up to me. "Almiraj Summon?" She asked.

"Y-Yeah? So what?" I crossed my arms.

"Almiraj are those rabbit-like creatures, right?" My goddess's eyes squinted as she studied me. "Come to think of it, you actually do look a little like an Almiraj. Especially with that hair style, not to mention those red eyes."

My breath exploded outwards as I sighed in resignation. "Oh, please don't start you too!" I had been compared to the small, rabbit-like monsters on more than one occasion, and after a while it had become a bit of a running gag between Lili and Welf. "I don't resemble a rabbit _that_ much do I?"

As soon as the words left my mouth I immediately regretted having uttered them. The smile that spread across Hestia's lips was one I knew all too well. A playful and mischievous addition to her normally friendly face. She held the expression of a goddess who'd just found excellent teasing material, and the pink blush spreading across my cheeks certainly didn't help matters.

"Ohhh…" She gushed before starting to stroke my head like one might a small animal. "My little Almiraj!"

I couldn't help it. The blush on my face went from pink to deep red in an instant.

Technically I was 22 years old for goodness sake, and in spite of that she could _still_ make me blush like a still wet-behind-the-ears school boy.

Some things never change I guess.

"Still… seriously." Hestia motioned to the paper with my stats written on it, a small amused smile remaining on her lips. "I really don't understand how any of this is even possible."

I didn't agree. My many additional abilities – skills and magic alike – existed only because of the rather unique circumstances of my current life; but even if that hadn't been the case, it wasn't completely unheard of for a new adventurer to gain two or three skills after having just recently received the falna. Of course such people were few and far between, but it wasn't like they didn't exist.

Perhaps the spell I had immediate access to was a little harder to explain away, but if Hestia – or anyone else – were to ask I could just say I had a quarter elf-blood running though my veins; as elves had an inborn, natural affinity for magic. Hell, for all I knew this could actually be the case, as I had never met my mother or father.

I voiced my opinion out loud. "Impossible is going a bit far, isn't it? I mean; a level one adventurer gaining a few abilities immediately might be a little unusual, but it's not exactly unheard off."

"A few?" Hestia sighed. "You call three skills and one spell a few?"

Well, I suppose it wasn't, but to be fair, I couldn't really remember what was supposed to be normal for a level one adventurer, and to be even fairer, by anyone's standards I'd been far from normal even during my first timeline.

Hestia continued. "Well, I suppose it's not 'impossible' as you say, but the skills and magic weren't what I was referring too."

"Then what?"

"This," Hestia's voice again took on a panicked quality. "You have a development ability!"

"And?"

She palmed her face as she sighed. "A development ability is something you potentially get after a rank up, it's not even supposed to be possible to get at level one."

Huh… so that's how development abilities worked. I'd completely forgotten.

"Additionally, you just happened to get one of the rarest development abilities out there!"

Mystery. A development ability granting its user the skill to create the most advanced of magical items. Obviously I'd reached the S ranking in Mystery, otherwise I'd never have been able to create the Rune-system which sent me back in time. The development ability was now at its lowest ranking, I, which was honestly quite the bummer. I wasn't sure what kind of items I'd be able to create with such a low leveled Mystery skill.

"Anyway," Hestia continued, "I believe it's for the best that no one finds out about your… unique distribution of skills." She sent me a stern yet somehow concerned look. "You _have_ to keep this secret."

Of course she didn't out right say it, but I immediately knew what she meant. The gods of Orario could be such dicks at times. They left heaven because of boredom really, and –although this rule didn't apply to all – generally tried to make a point of messing with any mortals they came into contact with. This was doubly true when it came to adventurers with rare talents, simply because they were more interesting than the average Joe.

Hestia had done her utmost to hide my potential from other gods the first time as well, and back then the only skill I'd had which could draw unwanted attention was Liaris freese, as opposed to now when I had four unique abilities.

I had every intention of dodging the eyes of the gods this time as well, but that wasn't only because I wanted to avoid attention that would undoubtedly land me in trouble – like Apollo deciding on a whim to declare war on Hestia because he wanted me in his Familia for… whatever reason; ugh, what an asshole – but also because I wasn't completely sure who among the gods had ties to Evilus.

The organization was, quite frankly, at the very forefront of my shit-list, meaning I had every intention of crushing them. I would need to become much stronger before I started targeting the organization, however, which was why I'd have to lay low for now. When I decided to go on the offensive, Evilus wouldn't even see me coming, simply because they wouldn't be aware of my existence in the first place.

"You okay Bell?" I must have spaced out as Hestia sent me a concerned look. "You'll keep this secret right? Promise?"

I could hear the worry in her voice clear as day. She obviously didn't want to lose the very first member of her Familia after having just welcomed him. If another powerful god or goddess decided they wanted to… _acquire_ me because of my unique abilities, Hestia would have very little chance of winning the fight that would ensue. She might have been of divine origin, but compared to many others she was still poor and without much influence in general.

"I will. I promise." Avoiding attention for as long as possible had been part of the plan from the get-go anyway, so it's not like anything would change.

I nodded to Hestia before standing up and walking to the door. "I'm going out to train." I told her.

"Uh… alright." Hestia said as she too stood up. "But make sure to be home before it gets dark and I'll be sure to have dinner ready."

Home… I hadn't had one in a very long time. "I will. Thank you, Kami-sama." I answered, opening the door before closing it behind me.

The first time it had taken me a little over a month to reach level two.

This time I would do it in half that time.

* * *

I ducked under the vicious swing before returning one of my own. The goblin let out a weak whine after which it feel to the ground, vanishing in a sudden plume of smoke, leaving behind a single blue crystal.

The rest of the goblins roared for their fallen comrade before charging at me en mass. I parried a few more strikes, making sure to keep my back against the cave wall as I continued searching for openings.

Goblins weren't very strong, but in numbers they could be tricky. They weren't large or heavy enough to push you back, but by attacking from many different angles they could score light blows that would build up over time. You could avoid this by always keeping your back to the wall and never giving an inch of leeway.

The sword I was currently wielding I had… huh… stolen. I didn't feel too bad about it honestly. The person from whom I'd taken the weapon was a level two adventurer who was quite obviously rich enough to afford another; not that he would need to as I would return it as soon as I collected enough money to buy my own weapon. Considering the guy had just recently completed his tour in the Dungeon for the day, I doubted he would even notice his weapon was gone.

Deflecting a few more strikes to the side, I attacked with my sword horizontally, taking out the last four goblins with a single slash.

I'd been hunting in the Dungeon for quite some time, as was evident by the way sweat poured down my body, and the way my breath came out in heavy gulps. This young body obviously didn't have much in the way of stamina considering how tired I was after just a few hours of battle, but that would be rectified soon. Hopefully the intense, constant monster farming would help add to my endurance once Hestia updated my status.

As more goblins started spawning from the walls, this time mixed with kobolds, I tensed and raised the thin blade, letting it hover right beneath eye level.

Time for round two.

* * *

 ** _*Seven days later_**

"I don't even know why I'm surprised anymore." Hestia sighed, shaking her head. "One week, and you've already reached D in some of your stats, even one C."

"You don't seem very surprised though."

"Oh, I am… or at least I _used_ to be." Hestia glared at me, downright accusing. "But a certain someone has made a point of surpassing my expectations at every turn. I was baffled the first time you returned from the Dungeon, having increased your overall stats by over 300 points in a single day, but as your growth rate has remained constant since then I guess the surprise has started ebbing away."

"Uh… I feel like I should apologize, but I'm not sure what for."

Hestia mutter something under her breath before sighing for what must have been the tenth time. "Oh well, I was a little worried about your decision not to register at the guild at first, but if this is how fast you improve then I guess it was a pretty good idea."

"Yeah, just until I reach level two though."

It was part of the plan of how I was going to avoid attention for as long as possible.

Part of the reason why I'd been so well known during my previous timeline was because of the attention I'd gained as the record holder. I had been a rookie, yes; but one who reached level two in a single month and a half.

This time I wouldn't register with the guild immediately, but instead wait until I was level two and _then_ register, pretending I'd reached the level outside Orario. That way I could pretend like I was in the upper ranks of the second level, and would therefore not draw too much attention to myself after reaching level three.

An even smarter move might have been not to register at the Guild at all, but frankly, the Guild had access to resources and information I would need in time, and it would be easier to earn Ouranos' trust if I had been registered at the Guild for a while, instead of just appearing out of nowhere one day.

"So may I see it?" I asked, holding out my hand so I could accept the paper with my new stats written on them.

 ** _-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-_**

 ** _Bell Cranel – Level 1_**

Strength: 398 (F)

Endurance: 501 (D)

Dexterity: 644 (C)

Agility: 595 (D)

Magic: 198 (G)

 ** _-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-_**

All my stats were increasing at a steady rate. The magic stat was a little disappointing perhaps, but it did make sense. My flame spell was far too powerful for someone my level. I had attempted to light a group of kobolds on fire, and while the spell had certainly reduced the monsters to ashes, it had left me drained and tired, almost suffering a mind-down right then and there. That was a little embarrassing, honestly, as it was the kind of thing that happened to trigger happy rookies, having just recently acquired a new spell they wanted to play with.

"At this rate you'll reach level 2 in just a few weeks." Hestia said as she rolled her eyes.

I smiled and nodded. I could tell she didn't fully believe that was possible, but she wasn't wrong. Or well… it wouldn't take me a _few_ weeks. The goal was to reach the next level before this next week was over.

Guess I would have to pick up the pace.

* * *

 ** _*Eight days later_**

"Eina, an adventurer is requesting your support as an advisor."

"What? Anyone I know?" Eina asked, narrowing her eyebrows in confusion. She couldn't remember having met any new adventurers.

"I don't recognize him. But maybe you will."

She stood up, dusting of her black and white guild clothes, before starting towards the door.

"Hey Eina." The coworker voiced her opinion before she could leave. "You sure you're willing to accept the advising role of a third adventurer? No one would blame you if you declined his request."

Eina sighed, smiling back at her friend. "No, it's fine. If someone specifically asked for me then I might as well provide whatever help I can."

The Guild was bustling with activity like usual as she made her way through the hall, most of the workers either hurrying from one room to another, or sitting in front of their desks, filling out massive piles of paperwork. Business like usual, really.

She exited the employee area, entering the Guilds general hall were adventurers could sell loot acquired in the Dungeon, accept quests, as well as speak directly to the Guild's various workers for support and advice.

She looked around, unsure where to find the adventurer requesting her support, before spotting him in front of one of the middle desks, waving her over. She didn't recognize him even as she got closer, and while it was possible she could have simply forgotten about him, she somehow doubted she'd have been able to forget his unique facial features.

Had he been a little older he might have been considered handsome, but as things stood his adolescent face could be more accurately described using the word 'cute'. A slim jawline, petite nose, and a pair of large, expressive eyes, framed by snow white hair. It might even have been possible to mistake him for a girl if it wasn't for his tall, slender build.

None of these features made him truly remarkable, however. Instead it was his eyes – piercing and calculating, the same color as crimson blood, so at odds with his calm and innocent demeanor – which truly drew her attention.

These were only passing thoughts, however, as she made her way towards the unknown adventurer. "You requested my assistance?" She asked, sitting down at the desk in front of him.

"Ah, yes…" his voice was light for a male. "I arrived in Orario a few weeks ago as a new adventurer." He extended his hand. "The name's Bell Cranel."

She hesitated a few seconds before taking and shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you Cranel-san. I'm Eina. Eina Tulle, though I guess you already knew that… although I don't know you."

"Guess it's a little strange to have a complete stranger mention you by name." The way he hung his head and scratched his neck made her think of a young, embarrassed child; or at least that was until his red eyes moved back up to hers and suddenly she felt like he was looking straight through her. She was once again reminded of the fact that you should never judge a book by its cover. "I'm the first member of my goddess's Familia, which is why I felt it was a good idea to get an advisor, felt I could use the support."

A completely fresh Familia uh. That made sense. New members of the more popular and powerful Familias generally didn't feel the need to request advisors, as any information or guidance they might require they could simply get from senior members of their own Familias.

Familias that had been around for a while usually gave rookie adventurers the supporting role in a large scale party. That way the rookies would be able to watch and learn while the more experienced members dealt with the truly dangerous stuff. This way casualties could be minimized as much as possible, while still allowing new adventurers to grow.

Newly formed Familias, on the other hand, couldn't offer the same protection, which was why the members of these smaller Familias typically requested advisors from the guild, as a means to make up for the resources they lacked.

Advisors from the guild, Eina included, were well versed in a great deal of topics, all of which somehow tied to the Dungeon and the monsters it housed. Advisors helped adventurers prepare for the various floors of the Dungeon, making sure they knew what they were up against.

"As to why I chose you, well…" the boy, Cranel, continued, "…a friend of mine recommended you."

"A friend? Who?"

Cranel released a small laugh, his voice sad somehow. "You probably don't remember him, you were only his advisor for a short time, but he spoke well of you… said you could be counted on."

The fact he thought she would forget an adventurer she had once supported was honestly a little insulting, but Cranel's voice made it clear he didn't want to talk about it. Going from his tone, the adventurer he spoke of was most likely dead, so while Eina was curious, she decided not to push.

"Alright then. I won't ask if you don't want to tell me, although I have to admit you've peaked my curiosity." She sighed before switching the subject. "As you're here, how about we register your Familia immediately?"

"I'm fine with that."

She retrieved the proper form before placing it, along with a pen, in front of him. "I know it's a hassle, but please fill this in."

"Alright…" She heard him mumble before he grabbed the pen. The form wasn't large and in under a minute he was done, placing the paper in front of her.

She accepted it and looked it over. "So… your goddess is Hestia… no previous members… Wait! You're level 2!?"

He scratched his neck, seemingly embarrassed. "Ah… Yes."

Eina couldn't help but sigh, kneading the area between her eyes. "You said before that you arrived in Orario just a few weeks ago. Are you telling me you reached level 2 in less than a month!?"

Cranel's eyes widened as he started shaking his head and arms from side to side in denial. "No, no, no! Less than a month? There's just no way that could be possible is there? Ha, ha, don't be ridiculous." Well, obviously. The current record was one year, so there was simply no way anyone could have done it in so short a time. Although; was she imagining it or did his voice sound oddly high pitched and panicked? "I reached level 2 outside Orario a few years ago." He said.

Outside Orario? That was quite impressive, because while it certainly wasn't impossible, leveling up outside the city was easier said than done. There simply didn't exist enough monsters to fight and gather exilia from, not to mention the monsters that could be found generally weren't stronger than your average level 1 – or at the most; level 2 – adventurer.

Outside Orario, level 2s could be considered elites, so the fact this young boy, no older than

14 she noted as she looked down at his profile, had managed to rank up at all was quite impressive.

"Is Hestia, your goddess, from outside the city as well?" She couldn't help but ask.

"Ah, no, I switched to Hestia's Familia when I entered the city."

"And your previous god was okay with that?"

He was quiet for a little while before slowly answering. "…I'm sure he would have been."

She cringed. So the god had died and been sent back to heaven as well. Seems she was stepping on a lot of toes today, but as she hadn't meant to, Cranel would hopefully not hold it against her. "Sorry… it's none of my business."

"Well, it's fine. I try not to think about it too much."

An uncomfortable silence settled over their small both, not broken until Cranel decided to change the subject again. "So, my Familia is officially registered, then?"

"Actually, no. Your goddess will be expected to fill in a few forms as well, but it's nothing you have to worry about. The papers will be sent to your goddess's apartment – Hestia was it? – and once she completes the forms she can either send them or take the papers to the guild by foot." She then added as an afterthought. "The guild will also require proof that you really are a level 2 adventurer though."

Cranel nodded. "I thought so. Can we do that now? I'd rather get all this guild stuff finished as soon as possible."

She was about to answer with a positive. But then her mind went back to the pile of paperwork sitting on her desk, about the same weight as a bowling ball, and she couldn't help but sigh. She needed to get all that done today before going home. "Actually, do you mind if we reschedule? I can definitely be your advisor but you caught me a little of guard today. How about we just decide to meet on Monday and Thursday every week – those days work best for me – and I'll leave the assignment of officially recording your level to one of my coworkers. It's not really my job anyway."

It didn't seem to matter much to Cranel as he immediately nodded. "That works just fine."

She smiled and nodded along, glad to have come to an agreement without too much fuss. Some adventurers were a little more demanding, expecting advisors to be available at all times around the clock, which was more than a little presumptuous. She was glad to see this adventurer didn't have such unreasonable expectations. "So if there's nothing more, then…"

"Ah sorry, but just one more thing." He really did sound apologetic which was why she managed to keep the impatience out of her voice.

"Yes?"

"I'm looking for a specific adventurer." Cranel started before stopping as if in deep thought. "Would… would you be able to find what group she's a part of so that I can join the same party?"

"That depends," she answered carefully, "the guild obviously can't keep track of all Orario's adventurers, but at the very least we try to keep an eye on the various parties around. What's her name?"

Cranel's already penetrating eyes sharpened momentarily, as if an image had just flashed before them. A moment later he mouthed her name slowly. "…Liliruca Arde."

* * *

 ** _Man, did I feel cheap with how I handled Bell's sudden rank up in this chapter, but I_** **want** ** _him on that level, and I want him there immediately. At level 1 he'd be just a little too weak to handle what I intend to throw at him, and at level 3 a little too strong. I just felt like level 2 was a perfect place to start Bell out at, as then he could be considered overpowered without being grossly so._**

 ** _Honestly, I'd originally intended for him to reach level 2 automatically after getting the falna but I couldn't think of a logical reason for this to happen. So this is how it turned out. Hope the sudden jump to level 2 didn't feel forced or too abrupt._**

 ** _Also, I know it normally isn't possible to acquire more than three spells, but Bell obviously figured out a way around that. This will be explained in more detail later._**

* * *

 ** _English is not my native language. Additionally I have dyslexia, so chances are you're going to find a few spelling and grammatical mistakes. If you could point them out in a review I'd greatly appreciate it._**


	3. Misery, Part 1

**_Chapter 3 – Misery, Part 1_**

 ** _Posted: 29 May – 2018_**

* * *

Lili had lived one miserable life. When she was no older than three, her parents died, and if that wasn't enough the money that were supposed to have gone to her, were instead used to pay back their huge debt, leaving her without a penny to her name.

She tried becoming an adventurer as a means to earn a stable income; _tried_ being the key word. As a Pallum she was nowhere near strong enough to survive in the Dungeon, and after multiple failures and near death experiences she realized she needed to choose a different approach.

She became a supporter, thinking she could slowly collect exilia and maybe, just maybe, one day become strong enough to join a party as a real adventurer.

And that, in a way, was perhaps not the root of her dilemma, but still very much part of the problem; the need to level up and grow stronger.

In the Soma Familia – the Familia her parents were a part of, and the one she belonged to by default – a certain quota needed to be reached every week, a specific amount of money, if you wanted even a chance at updating your status; which was easier said than done if you weren't strong enough in the first place to collect monster-cores in the dungeon.

Now, all of this was bad, but again it wasn't actually the crux of her dilemma. The real problem was the Familia itself and how it was built.

Lili learned early on that none of her Familia members could be trusted. They were as reliant on money as she was, or even more so because they craved Soma.

The heavenly beverage, worse than any drug ever created. Lili had tasted it once, and the word 'perfect' frankly didn't do it justice. She forgot her name, she forgot how to breath and how to stand; she forgot who she was. All she had been able to think of was Soma, and how heavenly it tasted.

Once the effects wore of she'd craved the beverage for months, only managing to resist because of her will to leave the Soma Familia, because she knew what the alcoholic drink did to people. The wine was like a poison, corrupting even the kindest of people. After a single taste, anyone would be willing to rob, steal and even kill, if only they could get one more glass of Soma.

Lili didn't want any part of it. She was tired of being pushed around and used, only because she was small and weak.

She wanted out, but in order to leave the Familia she required money. Only problem was that she had no means of acquiring the necessary funds; not through legal means at the very least. As a thief, on the other hand, it was perhaps not easy, but at the very least not impossible.

Her actions might have been scoffed at by some, and most would probably have considered her nothing but a simple thief, no better than any of the other members of her Familia.

Perhaps there was some truth to that, but she liked to think her actions were at the very least not selfish; at least not entirely. She had been collecting money for the last five years now, tricking and stealing from hundreds of adventurers, but only because she wanted to buy her freedom; because she wanted to finally be rid of the Soma Familia; be rid of Soma's falna once and for all.

"Hey supporter! We're leaving for the Dungeon! If you want any of the spoils you better get a move on!"

Slipping back into the carefully crafted persona she'd been cultivating for years, Lili responded with a childish voice. "Coming adventurer Sir. Lili will be right there." Using an airheaded and immature voice was useful in that it helped lower others expectations, making them underestimate her when the time came.

Lili moved towards the entrance of the Dungeon, still inside Babel, heading towards the small group of adventurers standing next to the entrance. They were a group of four… no wait, five? Had one more adventurer joined their party? As she got closer she quickly realized she didn't recognize the guy. His hair was completely white, and sticking out at slightly odd angles, but without looking disheveled or unkempt. He had a handsome face, she supposed; with neutral, kind features, but she wasn't shallow or naive enough to judge a person based on their looks.

She approached the group, making sure to hunch down to look even smaller. "Who's this? Lili doesn't recognize you Sir." She addressed the new adventurer, making sure to sound as polite as possible.

"Not that you actually need to know, but since you asked, this is Bell Cranel." One of the men – who was the self-appointed leader of the group, named Jayden – said, or perhaps sneered was more accurate. He didn't try to hide how much he disliked her, as you didn't have to listen particularly hard to hear the distain in his voice.

The others were of a similar opinion when it came to her; or supporters in general.

Not many adventurers cared much for supporters, but at the very least not all went out of their way to make life miserable for the ones they encountered. Obviously the people she currently partied with did not belong to that category, as they had tried cheating her out of her share of the loot on multiple occasions. The only reason she stayed as their supporter was because of the rather fancy and most definitely valuable gear they carried on their person. When an opportunity presented itself she would take what she could – what she could carry, really – and then vanish like she always did. It was almost routine at this point.

Stealing from this group might have been somewhat risky, as most of them were close to ranking up – the leader an actual level 2 – which made them quite powerful, but at the same time arrogant, which was why it hopefully wouldn't be too hard to… relieve them of some of their possessions without them noticing, from right under their noses.

"Cranel-kun is new to Orario and really wanted to join our party, and as he offered a few potions and other stuff as payment for helping him in the Dungeon, we felt it prudent to let him join."

So in other words, someone they would have to babysit. Great. "Lili aggress. If someone wants our help it would feel wrong to turn them away."

Jayden wrinkled his nose in displeasure. "Glad you agree, _supporter_ , but we didn't ask for your opinion."

Lili immediately backtracked, hunching down in a submissive gesture. "Lili apologizes. She did not mean to imply honorable adventurers such as yourselves would need to concern yourselves with her." Maybe she laid it on a little thick, but if they got angry she would be nowhere near strong enough to defend herself.

Going by his superior smirk and narrowed eyes, Jayden was most likely going to give a snide response, but the words died on his lips before they could even leave his mouth.

"It's fine, isn't it?"

The statement cut through the conversation like a knife cutting through butter, and all at once, everyone's attention turned to the newest member of the party. Cranel had spoken evenly, he hadn't even raised his voice, but still it had carried though the entire group, silencing all other conversation. And when Lili met his eyes – red, she noted – there was an intensity to them that had not been there before. They radiated intent and his will to go through with that intent, although she couldn't tell where it was directed.

"Ah… yes," Jayden recovered quickly enough, still just as surprised as Lili felt. Normally he would, most likely, not have let the interruption slide, he would have considered it a blow to his authority, but some part of him – a carnal, base instinct – was telling him to let it go; to drop the matter because of the warning bells in his head. "Let's not argue over useless things and simply enter the Dungeon shall we?"

Cranel smiled, bright and unconcerned, and suddenly Lili wondered if she'd imagined the entire exchange. "Yes, let's." He said, taking up the rear instead of herself as they all entered the Dungeon.

* * *

"Man, rookie. You're much stronger than I thought." Jayden opinioned as he ducked under the powerful swing of an Orc, before decapitating the large monster with a single well aimed strike. The rookie in question, Cranel was his name, responded by jumping over another Orc, slashing at its unprotected back. The strike wasn't powerful enough to bring down the ugly creature, but it did give Jayden the opening he needed to deliver the final attack which ended the monster.

"Thanks." Cranel answered with a smile. "I've had a lot of practice."

Of to the side, Lili carefully took down the weaker, isolated monsters in her vicinity, using her crossbow to deal damage without having to directly engage. She also made sure to move any defeated creature out of the way so that the others could fight in the center without having to worry about losing their balance.

After ten minutes of continuous fighting the battle finally died down, and Jayden decided it was time to set up camp. Lili felt she could have probably kept going for a little while longer, but at the same time she was quite hungry. They had been exploring the Dungeon for almost four hours straight, and was now on the tenth floor.

She wasn't sure if she was comfortable moving any further down. Maybe if she was with a group she actually trusted she might have been willing to go even deeper, but as things stood she didn't believe for a second Jayden and the others wouldn't abandon her if things turned dicey.

Her stomach suddenly let out a loud rumble, reminding herself – and everyone else – of the fact she hadn't eaten anything all day. She was really regretting having skipped breakfast right about now.

Sighing, she sat down with the rest of them, retrieving her lunch out of the large bag she always brought with her. Before she could start eating however, someone snatched the lunch box out of her hands.

"Man this looks good…" Riche said as he sniffed at the dumpling stew. He was the third member of the party, and the most defense-oriented fighter in the group. "Didn't expect you to be such a good cook, _supporter_. Maybe you should abandon your current profession and try becoming a cook instead of… you know… a leach." His snide smirk was clear as day and the others laughed along.

Lili couldn't help but sigh. Of course they were going to steal her food; why wouldn't they if they knew she was hungry? "Could Lili please have her lunch back?" She begged, using her most pleading voice.

"But of course!" Riche confirmed with an excessively loud voice. "We wouldn't want our dear supporter to go hungry, now would we?"

He extended his hand with the lunch box in her direction, before promptly emptying its interior on the rocky floor. Silence followed the action, and she stared at the stew she'd been looking forward to eating, now covering the floor as much as her boots.

"There. You can eat off the floor. Suits you just fine, I'd say." He smirked, obviously quite satisfied with his actions, before going over to eat with the rest of the group.

Why couldn't they just leave her alone? She was so tired of being treated as if she didn't matter. As if she was just a waste of space. Sure, pouring her food on the floor was hardly the meanest thing anyone had ever done to her, it was really only the tip of the iceberg, but it was the principle of the thing. She was so weak that she couldn't even protect her own food; never mind herself. The strong always stepped on her, constantly stealing what was rightfully hers. She might have been a thief herself, but frankly she only stole from those who used and mistreated her.

"The perimeter is safe for now!" Cranel yelled as he jogged up to the group. "New monsters shouldn't start spawning anytime soon." He had volunteered to do a sweep of the area while the rest of the group set up camp, making sure their immediate vicinity was safe. He had a large smile on his face, which was frankly far sunnier than it had any right to be, considering they found themselves inside what could very much be considered a death trap.

His eyes moved down to the spilled stew on the floor, before moving back up to Lili. "Did you spill your food?" He asked, smile still in place.

Jayden answered before she could. "Yeah, pretty clumsy of her, eh? But what did you expect from a useless supporter?"

She was about to protest, but then stopped. What would be the point? This Cranel person did seem kinder than the others, but it wasn't like he would take her word over the words of an accomplished adventurer like Jayden's. Why did she think Cranel would defend her in the first place? He himself appeared to be quite the skilled adventurer; probably not as strong as Jayden, but he was still only a rookie and because of his talent he would only grow stronger and more accomplished, while she would remain at the bottom of the barrel. She shouldn't expect anything fro…

"Would you like half of mine?"

Lili looked up, her vision momentarily covered by the platter of food Cranel was holding out for her.

"I accidentally made a little too much, so I don't think I'm gonna be able to eat it all myself."

There it was again. That overly friendly and innocent smile; as if everything was right with the world. Lili wanted to believe it was real, but somehow there was just something off about it. It didn't actually look fake, but more like it didn't belong.

It was difficult to explain, but Lili could somehow tell he wasn't as naïve and innocent as he portrayed himself. It was most likely his eyes. There was just something about their intensity which garnered reverence and respect, and which certainly didn't belong to the carefree, happy-go-lucky person you could see on the surface.

Also; he was just so _nice_. Not necessarily towards everyone but definitely towards her. She didn't think anyone else noticed but he always made sure to stay close to her position when they were monster hunting, as if ready to step in incase something happened, and after the fights he even helped her collect the monster cores, even though that was the supporter's job; exchanging friendly but nonsensical small talk.

Now, she realized it probably wasn't the healthiest of mindsets to not only doubt the people who were openly hostile towards her, but also the ones who were kind; but going by her own encounters and experiences, people rarely helped complete strangers for no reason. Lili had met plenty of people who'd pretended to be her friend, only so they could turn against her when an opportunity presented itself.

Still, if he actually were looking to take advantage of her – like she suspected he was – then not accepting his food would probably alert him to the fact she didn't completely trust him. And while it was true he could have certainly spiked the food with something, she somehow doubted he would have done that to his own food, since there was no way he could have known she would 'drop' her stew. He was most likely simply trying to earn her trust.

"Yes! Thank you adventurer-sama." She pretended to gush. "Lili will definitely return this kindness."

* * *

I looked down as Lili – more than two heads shorter than me – accepted the food platter with childish glee, large smile in place. Her grin was fake of course, but I doubted anyone other than me noticed; Lili was quite the actor after all.

I had tried being as friendly as possible, but I didn't think Lili was buying the act, going by the suspicious looks she kept sending me. Once she'd trusted me completely, and seeing such distrust and suspicion in her eyes actually hurt quite a bit.

I couldn't really blame her though, as she was distrustful by nature. She'd been through a lot of shit in her life, forming the cynical and pessimistic personality that very much defined her; not that I'd always been aware of it, the naïve fool I'd once been. In fact, during the first timeline she'd approached me for that very reason. I had worn my emotions on my sleeve, which meant she didn't have to worry about being double crossed, not to mention it'd made me into quite the easy target.

It was for this very reason I tried to emulate my previous, naïve personality to the best of my ability, so that Lili would have an easier time trusting me. Going by the suspicious glares she kept sending my way, I was obviously doing something wrong, but I'd never been much of an actor anyway.

Perhaps her distrust had less to do with my acting, though, and more to do with the way I treated her. She wasn't a stranger to me after all, but a long lost friend, and I treated her as such. Someone like Welf might not have cared much if I approached him the same way, as he was a welcoming and social person himself, but the same logic could not be applied to Lili. The friendlier I acted the more suspicious she seemed to grow, but frankly I didn't care; I was just so goddamned glad to see her, alive and (relatively) well.

I was being a little over protective, I guess you could say, but I couldn't help it. She was the closest thing I'd ever had to a little sister – although she was older than me, which I was still having a hard time wrapping my head around – and I'd be damned if I let anything happen to her. Not again. _Never_ again.

"Hey, rookie! Ignore the supporter and come eat with us instead!" The male voice traveled through the cave, rough and mocking, and for what was probably the tenth time that day I felt a current of anger pushing towards the surface. I shoved it back down, ignoring the unpleasant feeling accompanying the action. I would've liked nothing more than to walk up to the group before shoving all of them face first into the ground, but I couldn't afford to draw attention to myself like that.

Still, I had no real reason to accept their invitation. I slipped back into my false, happy-go-lucky persona before answering. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm fine over here."

The leader, Jayden I think his name was, suddenly stood up before motioning me over. I sighed but stood up none the less, telling Lili I'd be right back. She nodded, after which I started walking towards Jayden who, for some reason, had moved away from the rest of his buddies, standing a little ways out, in a secluded corner of the cave. This was most likely meant to be a private conversation.

As I got closer it became clear he was agitated over something. "What's your problem?" He asked in a hushed voice, making sure no one else heard. "What's your deal with the supporter?"

Again I felt the anger; not necessarily because of what he said but because of how he said it. Especially the way he refused to use Lili's name, calling her 'supporter', as if it was some kind of insult. You could literally hear the disdain in his voice.

Now, the undercurrent of rage I felt in that moment was nothing new, but the thought slipping through my mind, almost on its own accord, most definitely was.

 _'_ _Maybe I should just kill him.'_

The worst thing was that it would have been so easy too. He did have his weapon strapped to the side, but as it was a large, clumsy axe, it would take him a few seconds to pull it out, giving me far more time than I actually needed to slit his throat. By the time he realized I was attacking it would be too late.

Back in my own timeline, things had been dark. You simply couldn't afford to show mercy, because – as I'd learned the hard way – the enemy most definitely wouldn't. It didn't matter who the enemy was; you attacked first and asked questions later, that was just the way it worked.

Now, however, I had to remind myself I wasn't confronting a monster in human skin, but simply a normal person, with a misguided sense of superiority. I couldn't kill someone simply for insulting my friend, because while he definitely deserved a good and thorough beating – which I was definitely going to provide one of these days – he hadn't actually done anything bad enough to warrant his death.

I must have been spacing out as I noticed Jayden staring at me oddly, so I cleared my throat before answering. "Her name is Liliruca Arde, in case you've forgotten." I couldn't help but let a little of my irritation show. "And I, quite simply, don't like the way you're treating her."

"Oh, come on! What do you care about some random supporter? She's not even part of your Familia. You trying to get in her pants or something?" The leer that spread across his lips made my skin crawl. "I mean, I won't judge. She might be small, but I happen to know that underneath that large coat, she's actually got quite the grown up body. Considering how reliant on money she seems to be I'm sure she'd be willing to… provide some _service_ , for the right prize." The moment he placed his hand on my shoulder, as if we were close friends, was the moment I decided I'd had enough. I placed my palm right below his elbow, while keeping my other hand hovering above his other hand situated on my shoulder, but he didn't even notice and kept talking. "In fact. I might try that myself and see if-Agh!"

I didn't press very hard, and frankly; in that moment, fracturing his arm would have been about as easy as breaking a twig, but that wasn't what I was going for. I just wanted him to let go, which was why I didn't feel the need to leave any lasting damage.

"This conversation is over." I told him. And this time I didn't bother hiding the ice in my voice. I turned around, but was stopped as he reached out with his hand again to pull me back, using more force than actually necessary. He most likely meant for me to lose my balance, but as things stood I was far too dexterous to lose my footing because of something minor like this.

Jayden grabbed me by the neck before pulling me uncomfortably close. His breath reeked of cheap alcohol. Had the idiot seriously been drinking before entering the Dungeon? "I feel like you're getting a little too arrogant, you little shit. At the very least that supporter you're so found of knows her place, but you – on the other hand – seem to have forgotten who the leader of-"

I tuned out his rambling. Seriously, I really didn't want to start a fight, as that might draw unwanted attention to my person, but at this point it was self-defense more than anything else. I was sure I'd be able to convince him to keep his mouth shut.

* * *

Jayden had always respected strength, even before becoming an adventurer. As a child he'd been physically active, playing a multitude of sports, and he had always been one of the best. This physical skill in turn had earned him a lot of respect from his fellow classmates, and the ones who didn't respect him at first, were always put in their place.

This was why he hated supporters to such a degree. They were the very definition of weakness, sponging of off other adventurers, simply because they weren't strong enough to survive in the Dungeon by themselves. They didn't provide much in terms of battle proves to a party, and were really only kept because of convenience; and even though they were next to useless they stilled expected to be _paid_. Absolutely disgusting. They should just be grateful they were allowed to fight alongside _real_ adventurers, like him and his party.

They had a new member now though, not counting the useless supporter, and frankly Jayden had really started to dislike the guy. Sure, the teen had been kind enough at first, offering a relatively large pile of monster cores to allow him into their party. He was quite friendly towards the supporter as well, which Jayden did find irritating, but considering the boy's young age, perhaps he simply didn't know any better; didn't know of the parasitic behavior of supporters. Or maybe he was just looking for a booty call; that was also a possibility.

Still, the way the rookie almost completely seemed to disregard Jayden and his party, in favor of the supporter had really started to rub him the wrong way, as he didn't like being ignored.

All in all, Cranel was just too arrogant, not showing him an ounce of respect. Which was why when an opportunity presented itself he had called Cranel over, intending to make sure the boy knew who was in charge of this party… and the little shit actually had the nerve to just shrug of the hand he'd placed on the boy's shoulder. In anger and irritation he'd had reached out again, grabbing the young teenager by the collar, intending to teach the spoiled brat some manners.

"I feel like you're getting a little too arrogant, you little shit." He'd growled. "At the very least that supporter you're so found of knows her place, but you – on the other hand – seem to have forgotten who the leader of this party is. See, there's such a thing as a chain of com-" He wasn't allowed to finish his sentence.

The subsequent seconds were quite confusing for Jayden, as he didn't have the battle experience, nor the mental fortitude, to accurately follow the events step by step.

None the less; his brain made a valiant effort trying to piece the events together.

The crack that reverberated almost inside his head was both strange and discomforting, and beyond any doubt it couldn't mean anything good. This belief was solidified when the pain made its presence known, racing through his shoulder all the way down to his hip. He would have most likely screamed if it wasn't for the hand covering his mouth with an almost gentle touch.

The second source of pain originated from his kneecap as it bent inwards much further than it was meant to, and again he only managed to whimper. Next thing he knew the world had been flipped upside down; or more likely, going by the nauseating feeling that generally accompanied centripetal force, _he_ was the one being turned upside down.

When Jayden slammed face first into the ground he lost consciousness immediately.

* * *

 _'_ _Ops…'_ I thought lamely, staring down at the unconscious form of Jayden.

Believe it or not, but I'd actually not intended for things to end the way they did. I'd really just wanted to show him he couldn't badmouth Lili without repercussions, by flipping the asshole onto the ground, but I'd actually not meant for him to pass out from the impact.

It was embarrassing, really, but I guess I'd underestimated my current strength a little, or maybe overestimated _his_. He was by no means weak, not by the normal standards of today's society at least, but I was far from normal. I could sense he was a level 2, like myself, which would have normally implied we were about equal in terms of fighting strength.

Had it been the old me, I really might have lost, but I wasn't the old me. I was a level 2 adventurer with the experience and reflexes of a first class adventurer, making me way stronger than my level would suggest.

You had to take into account, however, that he'd underestimated me. The fight would most likely not have ended as quickly if I hadn't taken him by surprise, as I could tell from our brief exchange that his raw physical strength was greater than mine; not by very much, but still enough to notice. I was faster though, which was why I'd been able to end it so quickly.

He'd believed I was just a particularly talented level 1 adventurer, and had treated me as such. Had he been aware of my actual stats, on the other hand, he would most likely not have been reckless enough to let me get within arm's reach, when he realized our argument might evolve into an all-out fist fight. He'd have backed up to try and measure my strength and after noticing I was overpowering him, he just might've been able to hold out long enough for his buddies to step in. Now, I did believe I could have taken all of them, but at the same time I couldn't be sure. Fighting four opponents at the same time was obviously much harder than tackling only one, and even if I managed to come out victorious in the end, it would most definitely not have been unscathed.

"W-what did you do?" One of the party members – whose name had completely eluded me – asked with a worried tone, staring with wide eyes at the downed form of their leader. For a moment I was worried they'd decide to confront me as well, but when I met the eyes of the one who had spoken, and saw the fear, I knew they wouldn't. They might be close to ranking up but they were all still only level 1, and as I'd just defeated their leader – a person who'd most likely been able to hold his own against two of them at the same time and still come out on top – the fight had almost completely escaped them.

"He'll wake up soon enough." I told the one who had spoken, matter-of-factly, before turning back to Lili, who… actually looked mildly disturbed.

I couldn't do anything right, could I?

* * *

The trek back to the surface had been an awkward affair. Jayden had woken up almost immediately. He couldn't have been unconscious for more than a few seconds, so there was never any danger of a monster attacking his slumped form, especially considering his buddies had almost immediately started shaking him awake.

After regaining consciousness I'd expected him to be cross with me (well, embarrassment hidden behind outrage, but whatever), but unexpectedly he'd been surprisingly subdued. He still acted like the leader, but any instructions he gave me he made sure to voice as recommendations instead of orders, like he had previously.

I did find it a little strange that someone who'd been so arrogant and boastful before, would do such a complete turnabout and instead become passive and almost… submissive, after being beaten. If anything I'd expected him to rage; attempting to explain away his loss, like most bullies did after being defeated by someone they presumed to be weaker. Although, he actually had told me at one point that he respected strength, so perhaps he'd simply realized I was the superior adventurer and therefore decided I deserved a small amount of respect.

But perhaps his behavior wasn't as strange as I was making it out to be. I'd meet others with similar personalities after all.

Bete was an excellent example of this, as he wasn't actually as much of a dick once you got no know him. And for all the insults he flung at those he considered 'weak', he sure tried his darnedest to protect those same 'weaklings.'

Perhaps Jayden had a similar personality. Or well… no, he didn't, as I couldn't ever imagine Bete treating anyone the way Jayden had treated Lili. I still considered Jayden very much an asshole, but at the very least he wasn't as arrogant and narrow-minded as I'd first presumed he was.

He was still giving Lili the occasional stink eye, but at the very least he didn't seem to go out of his way to make her life miserable, and as a result the rest of the party members also stayed away from her.

Now, all of this would have normally been great… if it weren't for the eyes that were currently staring daggers at my back. I could practically smell the distrust wafting of off Lili, and you didn't need to be a genius to tell most of it was directed at me. She was more suspicious than ever, as if my sudden display of skill had only helped elevate her worries, and the worst thing was – I had no idea what I'd done wrong, to warrant such a reaction.

Either way, by following Lili's lead we managed to reach the surface without encountering a single monster, after which the group decided to separate.

I somehow doubted I'd be seeing any of them again; not unless Lili continued hunting with the group that is, which I somehow doubted. After having convinced Jayden that we should split the loot equally between the six of us, Lili gratefully – although somewhat forced – accepted her part of today's spoils, before scurrying of. Frankly, it almost looked like she was fleeing. Come to think of it, she probably was; using the throng of the main square to completely disappear from view.

I couldn't help but sigh. Operation befriend Lili turned out to be a complete failure, but oh well, I'd made friends with her once already so I was sure I could do it again. Although, considering how she'd reacted to my presence today, maybe I should give her some space.

I'd tried locating Lili first because I knew how difficult her life had been at this point in time, but there were other people I wanted to track down as well.

I felt it was about time I visited a certain stubborn smith.


	4. Back Together Again

**_Chapter 4 – Back Together Again_**

 ** _Posted: 30th June_** ** _–_** ** _2018_**

* * *

Sparks flew, red and hot, as the mallet hit the thin but long piece of metal. It did not yet resemble a sword, but slowly, its shape had started taking on the form it was meant to.

The heat in the forge was not so extreme as to hinder breathing, but still intense enough to render anyone spending more than an hour inside the make-believe furnace a sweating mess.

Well, almost anyone. The falna didn't only provide an increase to physical strength but also made a person tougher and more resilient, which was why Welf had been able to spend two whole hours inside his forge without having a heat stroke. He was still not a level 2, however, so he actually had started to feel the effects; losing energy as he was continuously subjected to intense heat.

Once he finished the long-sword he was currently working on he'd need to take a well-earned break.

15 minutes later Welf had finished the weapon he was working on. It wasn't his best work, certainly, but not his worst either. In fact, considering the almost amateurish materials he was working with it was actually of a surprisingly high quality.

Finally done, he exited the innermost room of the forge given to him by Hephaestus, prepared to get some food in his stomach. This goal was somewhat thwarted when he realized he wasn't alone; he had a guest.

Strange. Of course it wasn't unheard of for one smith to visit another, but still there was a bit of an unspoken rule never to enter the forge of an opposing smith. Most of Orario's craftsmen might have belonged to Hephaestus's Familia but they were still all technically rivals, and therefore didn't want a potential competitor to learn the secrets of their craft.

Although, come to think of it, this guy didn't look like much of a craftsman, or at the very least not like much of a blacksmith. You could usually tell by the state of a person's hands – specifically, the lumps and calluses on the fingers – if they were used to working metal or not, but also by looking at the muscular structure of the arms. This person didn't have a particularly impressive build, and his arms were far too thin for someone well versed in the smithing art… wait a minute.

"You're wearing my armor!" Welf exclaimed. A mixture of surprise and downright joy in his voice.

"Ah." The newcomer started, small smile on his lips. "Glad you noticed."

"Of course I noticed!" Welf continued. "How could I not!? Pyonkichi is my pride and joy. I'd recognize it a mile away!"

At the mention of the name the stranger made a slight face, but Welf didn't even notice. "So, friend! What can I help you with?" He asked, large smile in place.

"Friend?" The stranger asked. "You don't even know me."

"You're using my armor. That makes you a friend in my book." Welf walked up, extending his hand. "The name's Welf. Nice to meet ya."

"I'm Bell Cranel." The other answered, accepting the handshake. Welf met his eyes, and was momentarily taken aback at their color. Red uh, those were… unique.

"So, Bell." He didn't bother adding the honorific. It just sounded so distant. "What can I do for you?"

* * *

Lili was worried. She was really, _really_ worried. The resent encounter with the so called 'rookie adventurer', Bell Cranel, had raised all sorts of alarm bells in her head.

She hadn't thought much of him at first. He was perhaps a little friendlier than what was appropriate of a complete stranger, but not in an irritating or creepy way. It honestly felt like he simply wanted to befriend her. As time went on, however, bits and pieces of what he did and said slowly started to unnerve her.

There were little things at first; like all the questions he asked, without ever seeming particularly interested in her responses, as if he already knew what her answers would be. This would have normally been a cause for alarm, but as he never actually asked anything related to her actual identity or her Familia, Lili never felt a need to worry; or at least she didn't until _that_ incident.

She'd never seen a level 2 adventurer get taken down so quickly, and honestly such power was scary in itself, but what truly sent chills down her spine were the implications of such power. Cranel was quite obviously at the very least a second class adventurer, maybe even first class, so that begged the question; why had he joined a party whose average level was so far below his own? And more importantly, why had he tried undermining his own strength to such a degree? It didn't make any sense. He'd have absolutely nothing to gain, joining a party so much weaker than himself. Not unless he took a much larger part of the profits compared to the others in the party, which he obviously didn't. The whole thing made even less sense when taking into account he'd apparently paid Jayden a pretty hefty sum to let him join. Why would he do that, unless there was something or _someone_ inside the party he wanted access to?

Had Lili's bad actions finally caught up with her? Had one of the people she'd stolen from hired some kind of mercenary meant to take back the money she'd pilfered?

Lili wanted desperately for this not to be true, and therefore tried telling herself that she was just being paranoid. The person Cranel was looking for didn't necessarily have to be her; it could have been any one of them, any of the party members.

Most of the evidence, however – almost all of it – point in her direction, the most damning of which being that he'd used her name.

Her full name.

When Jayden had called Cranel over he'd probably not meant for anyone else to hear their conversation, but Cinder Ella didn't merely give Lili the appearance of a Chienthrope but also the senses of one, which was why she'd been able to hear the entire conversation.

At the time, Cranel's exact words had been, 'Her name is Liliruca Arde, in case you've forgotten.'

Lili hadn't used her full name for many years. She was a thief after all, and what kind of thief actually gave their real names to the people they stole from? She knew what information a person could give the guild in order to track her down, and therefore made sure never to let any such information slip. The only ones aware of her real name should be the people from her own Familia, and only a few select members. The fact that Cranel knew it too, raised all kinds of questions, and Lili really didn't like what his knowledge might entail.

There were a few possibilities. Either someone had somehow figured out she belonged to the Soma-Familia, and asked them for information on her; or, the Soma-Familia itself wanted to track her down, and had therefore hired someone capable of just that. Hell, for all she knew, Cranel himself might have been a member of the Soma-Familia. It wasn't like she kept track of all the new members, coming and going.

So if Cranel really was somehow connected to the Soma-Familia, either as an actual member or as someone they had hired, then what did the Familia want with her? Maybe she'd stolen from someone powerful without realizing it, who had then figured out what Familia she was from and confronted them directly. Zanis ran a tight ship and while he certainly didn't care much for the money gathering methods of the other members, he still didn't like it when someone's bad deeds effected the Familia as a whole. Any such members stepping out of line were always ruthlessly punished.

The weight in her stomach – the one she'd tried ignoring all day – suddenly reached a whole new mass and the nausea accompanying the feeling certainly didn't help matters. She had no way of knowing what they wanted, but considering all the shit they'd put her through as a child – like the countless beatings she'd been administered over the years, not to mention the time they considered selling her as a prostitute to the red light district – it couldn't be anything good.

If the Familia was looking for her she had very good reason to stay hidden, so when Jayden's party finally reached the surface, she'd extricated herself from the group as quickly as possible, thrown away the money bag she'd been offered (in case Cranel placed some kind of tracker on it), and headed for home, but not before taking a few twists and turns through the slums in case someone was following her. She wasn't sure if Cranel knew the location of her current residence, but still decided to move out and find a new, better-hidden, place to live. Couldn't be too careful.

In under ten minutes she'd packed, and was soon out the door. She'd have to lay low for a few days.

* * *

 ** _*Five days later_**

Her new residence was nothing impressive. A small room almost completely without furniture, with cracks in the walls and ceiling. In the corner stood a medium sized bed, although perhaps calling it a disproportioned mattress might have been more accurate, as it was a little too large, compared to the rest of the room as a whole.

Frankly, it wasn't much, but it was all she needed.

Normally she'd probably have stayed under the radar for a little longer, just to be sure Cranel wouldn't be able to find her. If she ever wanted to be rid of the cursed Soma-Familia however, she needed to continue collecting money, and couldn't afford to let up.

Nevertheless, she was still somewhat worried about someone finding her, and had therefore decided to take precautions. The goal was to join the party of one of Orario's more powerful Familias and in doing so discourage foul play. Anyone wanting her harm would hopefully think twice before trying something in front of a Familia like Loki's or Freya's. Not that she'd ever be able to join either of those Familias though, even as a supporter, which was why she was aiming a little lower.

Her next target was a smith, named Welf Crozzo if she remembered correctly, who was a member of the Hephaestus Familia. Said Familia might not have been anywhere near as strong as some of the more battle savvy Familias at the top, but because of their many skilled craftsmen the Familia practically controlled the weapons market, and was therefore still fairly influential – but more importantly, far stronger than the Soma-Familia, both in terms of influence and power.

The specific adventurer she intended to party with was a level 1 blacksmith, and she hadn't chosen him entirely because of the Familia he belonged to either. The Crozzos were once influential smiths, belonging to the nation of Rakia, capable of creating the most powerful of magic swords. They had the respect and trust of the royal house for decades, but then one day, they lost it all. Lili didn't know the cause but for no discernable reason their inborn magical talent was taken from them, and without the ability to make magic swords, the family fell from grace.

Amazingly, however, some of the people she'd asked actually seemed to believe Welf was capable of creating magic swords. It was impossible to know if this was true or not without confronting the adventurer in question, and honestly it was probably only a rumor, but if it was true, if he was capable of crafting powerful magic weapons and she managed to get her hands on one, she'd be able to sell it for tens of millions of valis. It was a longshot really, but worth checking nonetheless.

Welf's apartment was luckily relatively close to her own. Only 20 minutes of walking and Lili was standing in front of a small apartment complex, belonging to the Hephaestus Familia. Earlier that day she'd already located Welf's own apartment, and therefore didn't have to ask around for his location. Walking up and knocking on his door would be a mistake however. The better option was to wait outside for him to come out, and then pretend to stumble on him when he leaves for the Dungeon. That way it'd be less suspicious and harder for Welf to refuse without a good reason, since he'd be heading directly for the Dungeon without party or supporter. At least she hoped he hadn't formed a party. According to the guild, he explored the Dungeon solo, but adventurers didn't always register their activities to the guild.

* * *

Convincing him to let her join was actually ridiculously easy. She hadn't needed to offer any kind of incentive. He'd just sort of shrugged and accepted, without giving it much thought.

Of course, everyone was tall if compared to her, but even by normal standards his height was above average, standing at almost 6 feet; with hair a weaker shade of red, and eyes a combination of grey and blue, which was actually quite the strange contrast.

His clothes were simple; a dark-grey overcoat – or perhaps calling it a kimono was more accurate – with a blue undershirt and a scarf the same color. A brown belt also covered his midriff.

He must have noticed her studying him as he turned in her direction. "So, Lili. How long have you been a supporter?"

She didn't hear any of the distain she was used to from other adventurers when he mentioned her profession, and it actually made her smile, just a little. Even if he was just hiding his dislike it would be a nice change of pace to party with someone who for once didn't actively try to make life harder for her.

"Lili has been a supporter for as long as she can remember." Lili answered, using the childish voice she always employed when interacting with adventurers.

"Really? You look quite young for an adventurer…" The awkwardness in his voice was palpable. He probably took her answer to mean she was an orphan – which she kind of was, she barely remembered her parents – and therefore decided to drop the topic, in favor of another, less sensitive subject. "By the way. Should have probably told you this before but lately I've been exploring the Dungeon with someone else. I'm heading to meet him right now, so today we'll be a three man party."

"Someone else? Not that Lili minds, but may she know who this other person is?"

"Oh, he's a great guy. He was one of the first people to truly acknowledge my armor," Welf sounded particularly pleased over this, "which was why I formed a contract with him. Also, even though his size and physique wouldn't suggest it he's actually one hell of a fighter; already level 2."

"He looks weak?" Lili wondered as she creased her eyebrows.

Welf hesitated a few seconds, probably not too keen on badmouthing his contractor. "Well… he's got this whole 'delicate pretty boy' thing going." Welf paused, mulling something over. "And don't tell him I said this, but with that white hair and the way it's pointing he looks a little like a rabbit." Welf pointed both his index fingers upwards and placed them on his head, as if to illustrate a pair of ears.

Was it just her, or did that description sound eerily familiar?

"His most eye-catching feature though, must be those red eyes." Welf continued, unaware of Lili's inner worries. "He's a good guy though. I think you'll like im."

She felt the panic mounting. Oh no… It couldn't be. There was just no way.

"Ah, there he is. Bell, over here!" Welf called, jogging towards the adventurer she'd tried her very best to lose.

Bell Cranel turned around, and as his eyes moved from Welf to her, a small smile appeared on his lips. "Welf and… Lili?" He sounded genuinely surprised which was obviously complete bullshit. "It's good to see you again."

How had he found her? She'd made sure to cover her tracks when switching residents, and frankly she didn't own anything that could be tracked back to her. She'd been quite paranoid the last few days, constantly keeping a look out for anything suspicious, and she hadn't even seen a whiff of Cranel or anyone else who might have been following her. What were the odds she'd just stumbled on him by chance?

"Oh?" Welf looked surprised between the two of them. "You guys know each other?"

"Ah… Yes." Cranel answered, turning to Welf. "We were in the same party a few days back. Her group was the one I hunted with before meeting you."

Welf nodded in understanding. "Ah, that explains it…" He turned to her, worriedly noting her expression. "You okay Lili? You're looking a little pale."

She had to calm down; this was no time to be panicking. Her best course of action was to pretend like nothing was wrong, and as depressing as it might sound she'd had plenty of practice doing just that – pretending everything was fine, when they were not. She took extra care not to stutter when she answered. "Yes, Lili is fine. She was just surprised to see a familiar face." Yes. Act calm. There is nothing wrong.

"How about we enter the Dungeon immediately?" Welf opinioned. "Originally I'd intended for you guys to get acquainted first but as you already know each other I see no reason to delay any further. You guys ready?"

"I'm good to go" Cranel said before turning to her. "You ready, Lili?"

No. No, she most definitely was not. "Yes. Lili has prepared everything she needs." The lie came easier than breathing.

* * *

The gang was back together again… kinda. We weren't the same well-oiled machine we'd once been, not even close; still, there was room for improvement. We all had room to grow, and obviously our team dynamic could be heavily improved.

The shortest member of our group was quite jumpy, and never seemed to relax, even for a moment. Even Welf seemed to have noticed her tense and almost agitated nature, but so far he'd decided to stay quiet, which was honestly a little strange considering his… well… 'in your face' personality. Maybe he noticed that most of Lili's worries seemed to be directed at me, and therefore decided to let me handle it, which was fair I suppose.

At first I considered waiting until we reached the surface before confronting her, as distractions in the Dungeon could mean death, but decided my worries were unfounded. While getting complaisant and underestimating the Dungeon's danger level was generally how most rookie adventurers ended their careers prematurely, we were still only on the fifth floor, which was why I was confident I'd be able to tackle anything this particular floor could throw our way.

I walked up to Lili, and as I approached I noticed her stiffen. "So… uh… you made sure to eat something before we left, right?" Wow, that sounded awkward, but to be fair I had no idea what her problem was, and therefore didn't know where to start.

Lili turned to look at me, and for the first time that day I saw an actual real expression, not one of the fakes she'd shown while partying with Jayden's group. It wasn't the most positive of emotions though; mainly, annoyance. Lili was annoyed and irritated.

"…ired you?" I heard her mutter.

"What was that?"

"Who hired you!?" She didn't actually scream, but wasn't exactly quiet either. Welf turned in our direction, and Lili blushed and shrunk further into herself when she realized how loudly she'd spoken. "Who hired you…?" She spoke slower this time, her words quiet and measured. "It was someone from the Soma-Familia, wasn't it?"

Ah. So that was it. She believed the Soma-Familia had hired me to track her… for some reason. Simply assuring her of my sincerity would not help assuage her worries, she needed logic. "Why do you believe someone hired me to find you?" I asked, voice calm and unconcerned.

From the way she was looking at me she'd probably expected me to get angry and deny the accusation. The fact I hadn't responded with outrage appeared to almost daze her somewhat.

"W-well. There were a lot of signs." She sounded tired, resigned. "Like how someone with your skill would have had no reason to join such an under-leveled party like Jayden's… though the most obvious hint must have been when you used my full name. I haven't used it for years."

Oh. Oh! I'd used her full name at one point, hadn't I? Even though I obviously shouldn't know it. That was embarrassing as mistakes go, and certainly explained why Lili was so distrustful. The only way I could possibly know her full moniker was either because I'd gotten it from a member of her (current) Familia, or because I was some kind of stalker. Either alternative obviously didn't paint me in a particularly flattering light.

Unaware of my thoughts, Lili continued. "And then of course it's the way we just _happened_ to meet today. You'll have to excuse me if I don't believe it was by accident."

I couldn't help but laugh a little at that, and Lili sent me another strange look.

"Believe it or not, but this meeting was actually completely coincidental." I said, and honestly my amusement seemed to irritate her more than anything else.

I'd been just as surprised as Lili when we ran into each other, meaning it was completely by accident, and not a meeting I'd tried to fabricate. Not that I would have been able to force a meeting even if I'd wanted to, as for the last few days I'd had absolutely no idea where Lili was, and therefore would have had no chance of tracking her down, but as she seemed to think of me as some kind of bounty hunting mastermind I suppose her conclusion made sense.

In other words, her interaction with me must have changed things to a shocking degree, which I suppose wasn't actually that strange, considering it was quite obvious I'd left a pretty bad – but still lasting impression.

Still, what were the odds we'd meet like this? Quite small, I imagine.

I couldn't help but think our chance meeting must've had something to do with my Luck stat, which was the development ability I'd chosen after reaching level 2. I still had no idea _how_ the ability functioned but I still knew for a fact _that_ it worked, simply because of the ridiculous number of times the most unlikely of events had happened to me, like the time I suffered a mind-down and collapsed in the middle of a bunch of goblins only for Aiz of all people to find and save me. I hadn't thought much of it at the time, but considering the size of the Dungeon I'd been extremely lucky that _anyone_ came to my rescue. Add in the fact that Aiz hadn't even been hunting on the same floor as me but had simply been passing by, and the events became even more unlikely.

I focused back on Lili and our conversation when I noticed she was about to say something. "But if no one hired you, then how can you explain this meeting?"

I sighed. "I really can't… or I mean I _can_ tell you, but you probably wouldn't believe me." I paused, thinking over what I was about to say. "But let me ask you this; your decision to party with Welf was a choice you made on the fly, right? It's not something you've been planning for a few days now, correct?" Well, knowing Lili she probably _had_ been planning her meeting with him, but not for more than two or three days, which… I suppose was beside the point. "Anyway, the point is, I've been partying with Welf for the last five days. How could I possibly have known where you were gonna end up, days before you yourself knew?"

She turned to me, and I could practically see the cogs in her head turning. She was probably trying to detect some sort of lie hidden beneath my statement, but as what I said had been nothing but the truth, she was coming up short.

"You've been partying with Welf for the last five days?" She asked, seeking confirmation.

"Yes. Ask him yourself if you don't believe me. A few shop owners should have also seen us together. You can even ask Hephaestus herself."

She studied me for a little while, preparing to say something only to be interrupted. The walls around us suddenly started to crack, and a multitude of dungeon lizards along with a few goblins crawled out of – and down the walls, like fish swimming down a waterfall.

I drew my sword and heard Welf do the same. Guess this conversation would have to wait for now.

Making sure Lili had taken up a position behind me, I charged at the closest group of monsters.

* * *

The fight had ended quickly enough, and we were now making our way back to the surface.

I'd exchanged a few more words with Lili, although I was the one who did most of the talking. I could tell she still didn't trust me completely, but at the very least most of the tenseness in her shoulders had disappeared, which was a win in my book. It was clear she'd relaxed quite a bit since meeting me.

At one point Welf had also joined in on the conversation, most likely noticing that most of the tension between me and Lili had vanished. I'd even managed to convince her to stay as our supporter, which I realize was probably because she intended to steal something from me or Welf, but still, I appreciated the show of trust.

Still, talking about Lili's need to gather money quickly; perhaps it was about time I did something about that sorry excuse of a Familia she belonged to. Its very existence had caused her so much misery over the years, so perhaps it was about time I got her out of it.

I wasn't sure how I'd go about it, but I'd think of something. I owed her that much.

* * *

 ** _Next chapter will be a short one I'm afraid._**

* * *

 ** _Next chapter: 15th July (Should the chapter be delayed it will say so on my profile)_**


	5. Negotiations

**_For those of you who don't know or have forgotten; conversion is the act of moving an adventurer from one Familia to another._**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 5 – Negotiations_**

 ** _Posted: 24th July - 2018_**

* * *

 _Hm... Adding together the collective money gathering of the entire familia, that makes approximately… 15 million valis total._ The figure paused, studying a piece of paper in front of him. _Not bad I suppose. So far, Soma has never used more than 13 million for his own research, which leaves around two million for myself this month… a slight decrease compared to last month, guess I need to raise the stakes slightly. Let's go with… yeah… 95 000 valis in exchange for Soma, let's go with that._

It was amazing what people could achieve if they really put their minds to it. Only last month one of the Familia's members managed to collect almost 60 000 valis in a single day, which he then immediately used to buy a glass of Soma. Of course he'd been hunting with a five man party, over half of which had been killed, and he himself had lost an eye, but that was hardly Zanis's fault, so why should he feel guilty because of the foolish actions of someone else? If they were willing to sacrifice everything just for the sake of a single beverage, then Zanis sure as hell wasn't going to stop them; certainly not when all their sacrifices went to him, in the form of valis.

As the captain of the Soma Familia, he earned almost seven times more than his status as a level two adventurer would suggest, and he didn't even need to hunt in the Dungeon; to think he'd once been disappointed to end up in the Soma Familia. Back then he'd wanted to join one of Orario's bigger Familias, and after having been turned down multiple times he'd been angry and irritated, cursing the people who didn't realize his talent.

Not having many other options, he'd ended up in the Soma Familia, but without expecting much. The Familia specialized in wine, after all, freaking wine! So he hadn't thought much of it at the time.

Either way he'd still wanted to become someone, someone others would respect, so he'd thrown his lot in with the Dungeon, hunting almost every day.

After only a little over five years he'd reached level two, but it wasn't until much later, after claiming the captain's position, that he realized just what kind of benefits membership could grant if you played your cards right.

The followers of Soma were quite literally crazy for the wine their god offered, and were willing to do practically anything for just a single glass; a fact Zanis had taken advantage of when he reformed the Familia.

"Uhm… Z-Zanis-sama?"

He turned in his chair, a small frown settling on his face. "What is it now?" He muttered, eyeing the intruder.

"Someone has requested to meet you sir. And they… well… they offered a small incentive." The underling retrieved a small leather bag, before throwing it over to Zanis, who deftly caught the sack, obviously filled with money.

"How much?"

"Almost 20 000 sir." Interesting. As the captain of a Familia he was a busy man, and therefore didn't have time to entertain just any riffraff requesting a meeting. This individual, however, had offered a substantial sum in exchange, which first of all was a sign of good faith, not to mention it implied a certain wealth, so perhaps it would be worth it to at the very least check what the unknown adventurer wanted.

Zanis sighed, before standing up. "Alright. Send him in."

He wasn't sure what he expected, but as the new arrival entered his office he could admit to not being overly impressed. The guy looked delicate and weak, and honestly, Zanis would have assumed he was a normal civilian if it weren't for the curved sword strapped to his back. He was obviously an adventurer, but going by his slim build and amateurish armor, probably not all that strong or experienced.

There was something about those eyes though…

"Thank you for taking the time to see me." The stranger said, offering his hand.

Zanis took it in his, shaking the appendage. "Of course, it's my pleasure. Well, I'm guessing you already know who I am but I still feel I should introduce myself. I'm Zanis Lustra, captain of the Soma Familia."

The other man smiled, red eyes almost seeming to glow. "Bell Cranel, only member of the Hestia Familia."

Disappointment rushed through him, but Zanis didn't let it show. He'd never even heard of the Hestia Familia, which meant it was small and inconsequential, Cranel himself undoubtedly just as unimportant.

Still, Cranel had offered a relatively large amount of money for a simple meeting, which either meant he was at the very least relatively wealthy, or that he was just really bad with money, in which case he'd be easy to take advantage of. Zanis decided he would see where this went.

"Well, I'm sure you're not here simply to exchange greetings… so what can I do for you?"

The other boy nodded. "I would like to discuss the possibility of a conversion."

Zanis couldn't help but sigh slightly. So this was all it was about? Cranel was disappointed in his own Familia and wanted to join another, bigger one. Well, why else would he pay money for a simple meeting? It was obviously a bribe, if a rather underwhelming one. "Being motivated and ambitious is all well and good," Zanis started, "but if you want to join the Soma Familia then-"

"-I'm sorry, I should have been clearer," Cranel interrupted him, "I would like to convert one of your members, allowing her to join the Hestia Familia."

Zanis shifted, narrowing his eyes slightly. "What?" He asked, warning clear in his tone.

Cranel didn't even appear to notice, or if he did he didn't let it show, and continued on without a care. "I realize this is the kind of thing I should have normally brought to the attention of your god, but well, it's been kind of difficult getting an audience with him." No surprise there. Zanis himself could barely get a moment of Soma's time. "Also, I heard you make most of the decisions in the Familia, so I figured I would speak to you directly."

Something was wrong here. The Soma Familia consisted of over 100 members, and its success could widely be attributed to Soma's drug-like wine. Nothing could compare to it, and for that same reason, people simply didn't want to leave, or those who did quickly changed their minds once they got a taste of the beverage.

"You need to understand," Zanis started, picking his words carefully, "the entirety of the Soma Familia is very close. We regard ourselves as family, which is why no one has left the Familia in over five years." To be more precise, no one has done so since he became captain. "Obviously if you want someone to convert, I'm going to need their consent."

Cranel smiled serenely. "Oh, I've already spoken to her. I mean no offence," like hell he didn't, "but she doesn't hold your 'family' in very high regard."

There was something unnerving about the way Cranel acted. He was just so… so calm, and considering he was in the presence of an adventurer who was the captain of an F-ranked Familia, he really souldn't have been. The question was; was it arrogance, or was it something else? Did he have a powerful backer that Zanis wasn't aware of?

He should probably do a background check on the other boy before confronting him, because while Cranel's disrespectful tone had started pissing him off, his instincts were telling him there was more to the skinny boy than met the eye.

"Alright. It'll be sad to see them go, but of course a conversion isn't completely off the table. Although you need to understand; all members of the Familia contribute greatly to our monthly income, so if you want one of our members you're going to have to offer something in exchange, preferably in valis, and unfortunately a meager 20 000 isn't enough."

"I figured as much." Cranel said, not batting an eye. "What would you consider a fair amount?"

"Well, it's somewhat difficult to answer that question without first knowing who wants to convert." He'd figure out how valuable the person was before deciding on a price. "Some contribute more to the Familia then others."

Cranel nodded. "Of course. Her name is Liliruca Arde."

Zanis turned, widening his eyes slightly. Now there was a name he hadn't heard in a long time. Hers was a tragic story really. Parents died early, leaving her alone and penniless. He could remember how wonderfully naïve she'd been, not yet realizing how the world worked, thirsty for understanding and recognition. It'd been easy to convince her to perform a few thefts, her small frame opening many doors; not that she'd realized she was stealing at the time.

As she grew older however she started realizing what she was doing, questioning Zanis whenever he wanted her to retrieve a certain item. She'd resisted; said she didn't want to steal, and soon she'd been ready to leave the Familia. Zanis had none of it, and after shoving some Soma down her throat she'd been his obedient lapdog once again.

Although… "That's strange," he started, carefully studying the white haired boy, gauging his reaction, "I do remember Arde quite clearly, but I was under the impression she was dead."

And there it was; the first hint of uncertainty Cranel had shown. His eyes widened just a fraction, mouth moving down into a slight frown; and then the moment was over, his face reverting back into its previous serene state.

"You must be mistaken," he stated calmly, "I spoke to her just the other day."

Zanis smiled. "Really? I'm glad to hear that," and he really was. Arde's small stature allowed her to get into places others couldn't. She was the perfect thief. "Are you sure it was really her though? She hasn't been seen for many years, so we all presumed she had died in the Dungeon."

"Yes. I'm quite certain."

"Ha! That's a weight of my chest. I'm really glad to hear she's okay." And as long as he could get her addicted to Soma again, everything would be right with the world.

"I'm sure you are, but about what we talked about before. How much would a conversion cost?"

Ah, yes. The cost. "Back then, before she disappeared, Arde was an excellent supporter, and I bet she's even better now. She's a valuable member, so… maybe three million valis?"

Yes, obviously she wasn't worth that much. Back when he'd considered selling her as a prostitute to the red light district she probably wouldn't have earned him more than a few 10 000 valis, and as a supporter she'd be worth even less. But in the end what really mattered was what she was worth to Cranel, how much _he_ was willing to pay.

Well, there was no way he'd accept a cost of three million valis for a simple low-leveled supporter, but perhaps-

"That sounds reasonable," Cranel cut in, "I'll need some time to collect the money though, so I'll come back again in a week." What? Just like that? He'd expected Cranel to balk at the number, to try and negotiate a lower price. What sane person would pay three million valis for a level one supporter?

…he really needed to do that background check.

* * *

The meeting had been enlightening to say the least. I hadn't interacted with Zanis much the first time, only really knowing him by reputation – of what he'd done to Lili. I'd expected an arrogant and presumptuous adventurer who looked down on everyone around him, and I'm sure that's exactly what he was, but on the surface he'd seemed friendly and charming, the kind of person I'd have undoubtedly trusted completely back when I was still a naïve fool. I knew better now though, could read between the lines, and therefore noticed the tiny changes in expression whenever I said something he found irritating or simply beneath him.

Either way, it felt really weird how I was basically trying to buy Lili, but that was just how Familia-business worked, at least most of the time. While gods like Hestia and Hephaestus would never even consider selling their members, the same could not be said for all gods. It was actually pretty common for Familias to trade one or more members in exchange valis or something else of value.

To some; adventurers were commodities comparable to fine wine or a pair of particularly comfortable shoes, although far more valuable; not quite possessions, at least not in accordance to the law, but still pretty close. The fact Lili needed the permission of anyone but herself to leave the Soma Familia was proof enough. To Soma, adventurers were just a source of income.

At any rate, three million valis wasn't such a big deal. I'd already started making investments, and would have the money within a week, and while it irked me I had to pay Zanis anything, Lili was more than worth it.

I'd made a bit of a mistake when I revealed her name though.

I had no idea Zanis thought she was dead, and undoubtedly, that belief was by design. Lili didn't want anyone to know she was alive, so she could collect the money that would set her free in peace.

I doubted the reveal would affect her in the long term, however. I'd have the money soon enough, and then, assuming Zanis honored his end of the bargain, she'd be free; and once Lili was officially a member of Hestia's Familia I'd have legal right to curve stomp the bastard into the ground if he ever tried to hurt her again.

I had to admit though, my actions to free Lili were a whole lot less… explosive than I'd originally intended. I'd _wanted_ to just storm the Soma Familia and force the god into freeing her, but that would draw attention I couldn't afford, because while the Soma Familia wasn't much of a threat – or at least wouldn't be in the future, once I became strong enough – there were other powers out there that far surpassed my current capabilities, Evilus high on that list.

But anyway, I did have other options when it came to removing Lili's Falna. I could do it myself for instance.

By utilizing my underdeveloped Mystery skill along with some of Soma's blood, I should be able to do it, although I doubted the god would give up the divine power in his bloodstream, willingly; so that too would require a frontal assault against the Soma Familia, which I wanted to avoid if at all possible.

I would follow the peaceful route for as long as possible, and only resort to violence when absolutely necessary, as I knew I wouldn't always be able solve things diplomatically.

Ishtar for example would never release Haruhime without a fight, so that was a future confrontation that would undoubtedly end in blood and destruction. Haruhime would be safe for now, however, protected by Aisha and the rest of her sisters, which was why I could focus on getting Lili out of the Soma Familia without worrying about the golden haired Renard.

She was next in line though. I would refocus my efforts on getting Haruhime out of Ishtar's clutches, as soon as the Soma Familia had been dealt with; which would be sooner rather than later.

Lili wouldn't have to suffer for much longer.

* * *

 ** _I'm sure most of you wanted to see Bell wipe the floor with the guy, and don't worry, we'll get there eventually, but for now he's decided to go the peaceful route._**

 ** _Spoiler alert; it's not going to work out, so Bell will be forced to go the destructive route instead._**

 ** _Ah… I look forward to writing that._**

 ** _Also, Bell obviously has a pretty skewered image when it comes to money, and why will become apparent later._**

* * *

 ** _Next Chapter: 14th August._**


	6. Terrifying Beauty, part 1

_**And on we go.**_

* * *

 ** _Chapter 6 – Terrifying Beauty_**

 _ **Posted: 14th August - 2018**_

 _ **Updated:**_ ** _29th January - 2019_**

* * *

You know that look? The one filled with irritation and disapproval, promising swift retribution should you disagree with whatever the owner of the look is upset over. The one only women cold give?

Eina was giving me that look right now, and although her slim frame really shouldn't have been intimidating – like at _all_ – I still couldn't help but shrink into myself slightly.

Eina – like most women – could be scary when angry.

"The 16th floor?"

"Ah… yeah…?" I answered uncertainly.

"And tell me. You've been in Orario for how long?"

"Uh, almost three weeks now…"

Eina sighed, rubbing the space between her eyes. "Did you not listen to me at all?" She started, voice low. "Floors 13 to 16 are where the truly strong monsters start appearing. You might already be a level two, but these floors require more than just raw strength. They require strategy, a powerful party, not to mention the ability to predict a monsters next move. Three weeks is not enough to become familiar with the monsters populating the middle floors, and even knowing this you went _without_ a party. What the hell were you thinking?!"

That I wanted to reach the next level as soon as I possibly could, and that the sixteenth floor was just difficult and dangerous enough; allowing my current abilities to improve as fast as possible.

I hadn't brought Welf and Lili along with me this time, because… well, they were both level 1, and while I knew Lili could keep the attention of most monsters off herself, Welf was too much of a close quarter fighter for the same strategy to work for him. Plus, if I ever tackled more than I could handle, fleeing was always an option, and if I was alone I could do so without endangering anyone else in the process.

My efforts were paying off too. I'd reached or surpassed E in most of my basic abilities, the only exception being my magic stat, but that to had reached an F, so it wasn't too far behind. Before, my tactic for increasing magic power had basically boiled down to 'obliterate a group of enemies with a single spell, and then spend hours waiting for my mental strength to return.'

The method took time and wasn't particularly efficient, which was why I'd started experimenting. I figured out that by dramatically decreasing my magic input when casting the Prometheus-spell, I could make its usage far more efficient. This way, instead of creating a single burst of fire I could keep the spell active for a short period of time, the same way it was meant to.

As a mage, it hurt my professional pride somewhat to have to actively weaken a spell, just to make it work properly, but well… pride was worth very little in the Dungeon; plus, since I discovered this method two days ago my magic stat had almost tripled, so I couldn't really complain.

…ah, either way it seemed like I'd been quiet for too long. Mount Eina was about to erupt.

I hurried to explain myself. "But isn't that why you had me go through that course? So I'd be ready for whatever the Dungeon might throw at me." Yes, she'd had me go through those courses _again_ , meticulously studying every monster; what their weaknesses were and how to best defeat them. I'd forgotten a surprising amount, which was irritating to say the least, but considering I hadn't fought the monsters in Orario's Dungeon for quite some time, maybe it wasn't particularly surprising. Even supported by the Falna, my memory had never been all that good. "And yes, it might have been a little risky to go directly to the sixteenth floor, but-"

"-No." Eina cut me off, practically growling. "There is being risky, and then there is being suicidal. Guess which of the two you are?"

"Well, uh…"

"That wasn't rhetorical!"

Her eyes remained glued to mine for a while, as if daring me to argue, and I wisely decided to keep my mouth shut. I was smart and savvy enough by now to know arguing wouldn't do me any good.

After a while, however, her shoulders seemed to sag, releasing the irritation in a single powerful sigh. "When it comes to safety, you've pretty much disregarded every advice I've given you, so while I do want to just keep yelling at you in the hopes that you'll actually listen, that's not going to change anything is it?" She released another sigh, this one deeper. "Instead; I'm going to ask that you at the very least _try_ to be careful. Just… just try, okay?"

She was obviously worried about me, but she really needn't be. Of course I would die eventually, most likely in in the midst of battle; but not yet. I had far too much I needed to accomplish before I could allow myself to fall. "I'm always careful." I said, trying to sound as sincere as possible.

"Says the guy who thought going down to the sixteenth floor without any backup was a good idea." She muttered, still sounding sullen, which was fair I suppose. I could admit 'careful' was not the word I – or anyone else – would use to describe my recent forays into the Dungeon. Instead, the words 'reckless', 'wild' and 'destructive' came to mind. But that was just the thing; if I wanted to level up quickly, I simply couldn't afford to be anything but reckless. I was on a time limit after all.

She turned to me. "Still. I suppose I'll take your word for it, but not before first making sure you're prepared for whatever the middle floors might throw at you! " She declared, before abruptly vacating the little room we'd reserved for our sessions. She returned a moment later with three large books, stacked under each arm.

I felt some rising dread as I picked up one of the books, leafing through it. Yep, it was an encyclopedia; a _large_ encyclopedia, filled to the brim with information on monsters.

I looked up at Eina, who was studying me with a critical eye. Suddenly she seemed to brighten, and contrary to how most would have probably felt after seeing a pretty girl's smile, the feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach only increased.

"Before I let you leave today, I want you to read and memorize the contents of all these books. We'll finish with a quiz to make sure you're not lacking in any area." Her smile was serene – and entirely fake. "Better get started if you want to finish before midnight~"

I couldn't help but groan.

* * *

It was late in the evening, red sun painting a striking furor of warm colors on the sky's canvas. In contrast, the buildings around me looked cold and gray, losing some of their luster as the setting sun could no longer reach them properly. People were still out and about, but still the city didn't feel as animated and alive as it did at daytime. It was like something was missing. Like the city wasn't meant to be as could and quiet as it was right now, and the biting wind only helped elevate the feeling.

Eina hadn't actually forced me to read through all six books, as that would have likely taken all day, _and_ all night. She'd let me go after two hours, stating we'd continue where we left of, next session. Still, that was two hours of continuous studying without a single pause, and now I was feeling more than a little restless. Before returning to the church, I would visit the Dungeon for an hour or two, just to blow of some steam; my body needed the exercise.

I started jogging in the direction of Babel, and even though the wind only batted harder against my face, I didn't slow down. After sitting coped up in a small room for hours, the cold wind felt almost invigorating.

Or at least it did until a chill went down my spine.

It was familiar in all the wrong ways. Something my body immediately identified, but brain struggled to place. It was a gaze, something was watching me; a predator, whose presence filled me with both horror and excitement; a feeling I knew all too well.

It seemed Freya had finally found me.

I ducked into the nearest alley, hiding myself from the view of Babel, or to be more precise, from the view of babel's uppermost luxury suites, located at the very top. That's undoubtedly where she'd be staying.

I knew it was unavoidable, that she would find me eventually, but I was hoping for later rather than sooner.

Freya wasn't just a physically weak Goddess with a powerful Familia backing her. Her beauty was a power in its own right – a power I wasn't confident I could oppose as a mere level two. I'd been able to resist Ishtar's charm, but that had been as a level three, and frankly, compared to Ishtar, Freya was in a league of her own.

The Familia itself was nothing to scoff at either, of course, but even beyond raw strength they all possessed something even more dangerous; absolute devotion.

In comparison; as loyal as Ais was to Loki, she probably wouldn't have ripped her own heart out of her chest even if the goddess asked her to.

Freya's members on the other hand; they absolutely would, without hesitation. I'd been part of her Familia for a short while, after all, which had been a… well, _unique_ experience. I learned early on just how overwhelmingly, stupidly, loyal they were, Ottar at the very top of that list.

In a way, I could understand their devotion; when Freya looked at you, _wanted_ you _,_ you felt like the single most important person in existence. It was an exhilarating and – thanks to my Liaris Freese skill which passively nullified mental compulsions to a certain degree – utterly terrifying feeling.

Of course, back then, when I'd been able to tell someone was watching me without knowing who, it'd felt more like a hungry predator was sizing up its next meal. And her gaze _still_ felt like that, but now, when I knew who was at the other end, it also had a strange sexual undertone that felt wrong on so many levels.

One might wonder how Freya managed to spot me from such a faraway distance, or why she found me so interesting in the first place; I'd asked around, and according to Ottar (because I'd been too afraid to ask her myself) it had something to do with my soul. Apparently, Freya possessed some kind of innate ability, allowing her to see the color and brilliance of a person's inner spirit. I myself wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but it was thanks to this ability that Freya managed to collect such a large number of powerful adventurers.

Her eyes weren't perfect, however, because while the ability basically allowed her to make out a soul at any distance, she still couldn't see through walls.

For this reason, I was now slowly making my way back to Hestia's church, crisscrossing though back alleys to throw off anyone of who might be following, because while a Familia of Freya's level definitely had access to some kind of information network; probably not all that many such organizations specialized in locating people through the brightness of their souls. Freya would have a much harder time finding me without a name, which would hopefully give me at the very least a week to level up one last time, before she tracked me down – assuming she didn't spot me a second time that is. It was less time then I'd have liked but beggars couldn't be choosers.

Perhaps I was being overly cautious. Freya had (mostly) left me alone in the beginning, content to simply watch me grow from a distance, and hadn't really made her intentions known until much later. But the thing is, Freya was that one individual whose actions I couldn't predict at all. She was flighty and unpredictable; a variable that could change at any moment. I could trust most of Orario's gods not to attack unless first provoked, especially the powerful ones, but the same did not remain true for Freya. Theoretically, if I gave her the smallest reason, she really could decide on a whim to destroy Hestia's Familia and, well… that would be it.

Though on the other hand, Freya was a powerful player in Orario, and should I manage to acquire just a fraction of her cooperation, many doors would be opened for me. But in the end I didn't dare risk it.

Interacting with Freya was essentially the same as playing with fire; no, scratch that – making a deal with Loki was like playing with fire, associating at all with Freya was a little like stepping into a cage with a lioness and hoping she wasn't hungry that particular day.

No. Perhaps I would try to form an alliance sometime in the future – when I was higher leveled – but not any time soon. It was simply too risky.

So I swayed in and out of alleys, making sure to keep a keen eye on my surroundings. _If_ someone was really following me the last thing I wanted was to lead them back to Hestia's church, so I needed to cover my tracks properly.

Almost 15 minutes of crisscrossing later, I stopped, focusing carefully on my surroundings, using my superhuman hearing to pick up outlying sounds. It was quiet and still with noting out of place.

I stayed in the same place for a little longer, just waiting, before finally starting to make my way back to Hestia's. No one approached or blocked my path and as I got closer and closer to my end destination I couldn't help but sigh in relief, letting down my guard slightly.

Of course it was in that exact moment – when I rounded a corner – that an object collided with me, and a wave of information rushed into my battle hardened mind.

It was interesting what your brain could basically be hardwired into doing when presented with a specific situation. I'd been in so many battles, so many life and death situations, that by this point whenever I was pushed into a corner or simply surprised for one reason or another, my brain pumped me full of information I could use to turn a disadvantages situation into an advantages one.

 _Humanoid. Approximately 160 cm, and 50 kg. Smooth muscle tissue with low muscle-mass; most likely non-combatant. A softness and…_ ah, cuddliness I generally associated with the female body.

…if that was really the case I should probably let her go.

I released the figure, and she stumbled back slightly. "Ah, sorry." She giggled. "Didn't watch where I was going."

I was going to answer, but when I saw who it was my voice left me. Her death had been a particularly gruesome one, split in half with blood and innards spilling out from her midriff. Now, six years after the event, her face, filled with pain and fear still haunted me, but even more than that the memory was a constant reminder of what I'd failed to protect.

I uttered her name without thinking. "Syr."

* * *

 ** _Not sure how well I did with Freya's introduction. The whole segment felt kind of… tumultuous; moving from one point to another haphazardly._**

* * *

 ** _Okay. So this chapter was meant to be much longer. Unfortunately I'm going to start studying again now (two weeks earlier than anticipated) which means I'm probably going to be quite busy the coming weeks. I really can't tell how much time I'll have for writing, and can therefore not place an approximate release date for chapter seven._**

 ** _Just to be clear though. I do most definitely want to continue this, and will try to write as much as possible whenever I have the time (have to prioritize school though)._**


	7. Terrifying Beauty, part 2

So, anyone else looking forward to the next (real) DMC game?

* * *

 ** _Chapter 7 – Terrifying beauty, part 2_**

 ** _Posted: 29-01-2019_**

* * *

I couldn't believe I hadn't visited the hostess of Fertility yet. I'd considered swinging by on multiple occasions, to be honest, but for a reason I myself couldn't completely grasp I hadn't. Thinking of the bar had left me warm inside, but at the same time an irrational fear had bubbled to the surface.

Before everything went to shit, the Hostess of Fertility had been that one bar I always went to after a long day of hunting in the Dungeon. It had been a safe, homely place where I could relax and let my mind wander, not to mention the people themselves that took care of the place; the waitresses were all friendly and outgoing people who loved their jobs – or more likely the place they worked at and the people they worked with – creating a homely and welcoming atmosphere. Even Mia, while a little scary, was a wonderful person once you got to know her.

Even towards the end, when war was on the horizon, the bar had remained open. A happy and comforting place during a time when both happiness and comfort was in high demand, but difficult to come by. Like an immovable rock in the middle of a raging river.

The Hostess of fertility carried with it so many great memories, but at the same time just as many bad ones. The day the first Celestial managed to make it out of the Dungeon all the waitresses had gathered together to protect their home, and while – with a little help from the Loki Familia – they'd won in the end, many lives had been lost that day, Ryuu's among them.

Syr had never been the same after.

The place was just another reminder of all I'd lost.

I'd vowed to make sure it remained standing this time, no matter what, but the fear that I'd lose it and the people it housed was still very much there, constantly lurking at the outskirts of my mind.

Strength, I realized, was the keyword. I knew for a fact the bar wouldn't be in any real danger until a few years from now, but there was still an irrational part of me that wanted to be as strong as possible _before_ I visited the place, just in case someone there needed my help. The fact events would still transpire even without me there didn't appear to register in any way that mattered to this lone part of my mind.

This irrational, illogical thought process was likely what kept me from paying a visit, even though I really, _really,_ missed the place and – more importantly – the people who worked there; like the beautiful woman currently standing in front of me.

"Yeah… that's me." She muttered, looking me over. "Though I don't remember telling you my name. Or ever seeing you before..." She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "You're not a stalker are you?!"

My brain short circuited as I stared at her in shock, my mouth probably opening and closing like a goldfish. "W-what? No!" I managed to get out in a panic.

"Then how did you know my name?" She asked suspiciously, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

That was a good question. How did I know her name? _Because I'm a time traveler from the future._ Yeah… couldn't say that. Then what excuse could I give, that didn't make me come off as some kind of creep? I racked my brain for a good explanation but came out blank.

In the end it was she herself who offered me the perfect excuse. "Oh, of course. You must have seen me at the Hostess where I work. I always wear a name tag so it wouldn't exactly be difficult to memorize my name."

And like a drowning man being offered a lifeline I grabbed onto the excuse. "Y-Yes! That's exactly it."

She giggled, and for a moment I was surprised by the sound, marveling at its genuineness. My Syr – the version that was still grieving over the loss of Ryuu – didn't tend to smile much anymore, never mind laugh.

"So… why were you in such a hurry?" She asked curiously. "Maybe it's none of my business but considering you practically ran me over I think I have the right to know." Her tone was teasing.

I laughed awkwardly, scratching my head. "Ah, well, I guess I had no real reason to be in such a hurry. Just heading home."

"You sure?" She started, and although the smile remained firmly in place, her eyes narrowed just a fraction. "Because to me it looked like you were running _from_ something."

Ah, yes. I tended to forget but, although she never showed it, and pretended otherwise; Syr was, in simple terms, frightfully intelligent.

I'd never fully realized the extent of her abilities until after Orario's destruction. Without a Falna she obviously couldn't offer anything substantial in battle power, but what she lacked in brawns she more than made up for in brains. After everything went to shit she'd been one of our main tacticians, quickly proving her worth as she strategically ran circles around our enemies, devising plans and battle tactics that – at least for a time – ruthlessly crushed the opposition. Honestly, in my opinion she was one of the main reasons for why we'd lasted as long as we had.

The first time I saw this bloody, ruthless side of her I'd been shocked. The only side I'd seen of her before that point was the innocent and angelic-like persona she adorned while working as a waitress, and it painted quite the contrast.

That wasn't to say her normally kind and teasing personality was false, or made up. She _was_ kind, caring and just generally a good person; but she was also – to those who did her (or anyone she cared for) wrong – vindictive, unforgiving and merciless in her payback. The very definition of a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"Ah… well," I stammered, again having trouble coming up with a good excuse.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." She reasoned, again giving me an out. "Either way. After practically running me over I think it's only fair you escort me to my end destination, don't you agree?" Turning and walking away, she beckoned me to follow.

I sighed while hanging my shoulders, but in the end decided to follow, coming into step next to her. "Aren't you a little too trusting of some guy you've just met… in the middle of an alley? Actually, what are you even doing in a place like this anyway, so late in the evening?"

"Ah, well. I was going to meet up with a friend but ended up a little late so decided to take a shortcut." She explained. "I know these parts well enough so I figured it wouldn't be a problem."

"I suppose that's true, but still, you shouldn't walk around alone in these parts so close to nightfall." The back alleys we currently occupied were close enough to Orario's main square to be safer than most backstreets, but it _was_ still a dark alley that not many people visited, so it still couldn't exactly be considered safe.

"Oh, I suppose you're right." She muttered, sounding distressed. "I wouldn't want to run into _suspicious_ types." Ah, no. She was _feigning_ distress. "Like a certain someone who appeared out of nowhere, almost knocked me to the ground, and seemed just a little _too_ quick in latching onto the excuse I gave him after asking how he knew me." And then, probably just to rub it in my face, she added innocently. "You mean I could run into someone like that?"

I couldn't help the blush spreading on my cheeks. Curs her. I could remember I'd been doing a lot of blushing at this point in my life – almost exclusively when interacting with the fairer sex – and I'd honestly thought I was over that part of my life, but apparently not.

While trying (and failing) to formulate a response in my head, Syr's eyes suddenly moved away from mine and latched onto something in the distance. "Ryuu!" She shouted, waving excitedly. "Over here!"

The elf I hadn't seen in years waved back. So that was who Syr was meeting up with? I really should have expected it.

As Ryuu approached I couldn't help but notice the weary look she sent me, but then, after noticing the huge smile Syr undoubtedly had plastered on her face, the elf visibly relaxed. She'd always been protective of the other woman.

"You're late." She deadpanned. "25 minutes late."

"Soowwy…" Syr whined in the most immature voice I'd ever heard, and I couldn't help but release a tiny snort.

Ryuu, in contrast, looked utterly unamused.

Syr shifted awkwardly before her eyes moved to mine, and for but a moment I could have sworn I saw a tiny, sly smile spread across her features. "It was all this guy's fault!" She pointed to me, sounding deathly serious. "He made me late. You should be angry at him!"

"W-What? You said you were already late before I bumped into you!"

"Did I? I don't think I did."

I sighed, looking over to Ryuu who was now wearing a tiny smile as well. I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice, so I extended my hand, waiting for the elf to shake it. "As Syr doesn't appear to have any intention of introducing me," although, come to think of it, Syr didn't know my name either, "I'll have to do it myself. I'm Bell. Bell Cranel."

"Ryuu." The stoic elf nodded back, and after a slight pause she accepted my handshake. "I hope Syr hasn't been troubling you."

The elf leveled a halfhearted glare at the girl, who gasped in response. "What do you mean? I never trouble anyone!"

Completely ignoring her friend, Ryuu turned to me. "Thank you for bringing Syr along on your walk-"

"Hey! I'm not a dog-"

"-but we really must get going. We're already late and shouldn't keep her waiting any longer." At my questioning look Ryuu elaborated. "Mia, the owner of the bar we work at asked us to get a few ingredients. We split up and agreed to meet here at this time… although _someone_ ended up late."

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry about that." Syr muttered before turning to me. "We gotta go now, but you really must swing by the Hostess sometime. You know where it is right? Because _you've been there before._ "

I smiled and nodded, this time managing not to blush as the girl once again reminded me of how quick I'd been to latch onto the convenient excuse I'd been granted. "I will."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

* * *

"What was that about him having been at the Hostess of Fertility before?" Ryuu asked, looking over at Syr who was walking along beside her.

"Oh, nothing." Syr smiled back. "Don't worry about it. He's an interesting guy though, don't you think?"

"I suppose. A few minutes isn't really enough to get to know someone. How long have you known him?"

"Hm… it's a little hard to tell." Syr placed her palm underneath her jaw in thought. "15 minutes maybe."

Ryuu ground to a halt, staring dumbly at her friend. "W-What?"

"Yeah, I bumped into him on my way to meet you." Syr explained, unconcerned of the deadpan look Ryuu was sending her.

"So let me get this straight." The elf muttered. "You ran into a complete stranger and then decided to drag along said stranger… because you found him interesting?"

"Essentially. Yes."

Ryuu sighed, shaking her head. "Why am I even surprised? Why did you find him so interesting anyway?"

"Well… I mean… he was cute wasn't he?"

The elf released another explosive sigh. "Again. Why am I even surprised?"

Syr continued, adopting a slightly more serious tone. "He also appeared to know me…"

Ryuu sent her a questioning look. "I thought you said you met him for the first time today?"

"Yes. Yes I did. He appeared to recognize you as well."

The elf narrowed her eyes. "Did he?" That some stranger seemed to know them was disconcerting to say the least. Ryuu herself hadn't noticed anything strange but Syr – even without a falna – had always been more perceptive than the elf, or at least more skilled at picking out the meanings behind facial features. "I didn't notice."

"Yeah, he was good at hiding his emotions, but he definitely reacted when he saw you."

Ryuu tensed. It wasn't someone from her bloody past was it? Someone tied to Evilus she'd failed to get rid of?

"Oh, don't be such a worrywart." Syr smiled, gently grabbing hold of her friends arm. The elf deflated almost immediately at the touch. "He didn't appear angry or upset. He seemed almost… happy to see you?"

That… that was strange. "Are you sure you weren't mistaken?"

Syr nodded seriously. "Yes. I'm as close to certain as I could get." The wide, almost impish smile that spread across her lips appeared without warning, making Ryuu jump slightly as she wasn't ready for it. "I know for a fact he has a secret. One I'm going to enjoy taking my time unveiling."

* * *

 ** _So, I'm back. Have no real excuse for being gone for such a long time. Just haven't felt like writing. I have those periods now and again, but now I feel like creating stuff again, so you can expect more frequent updates the next few months; not necessarily for this story though. I'm working on a couple new ones, so unfortunately you can't expect updates for this story more often than maybe one every other month._**

 ** _So this is another short chapter. Sorry about that. This was originally supposed to be part of the previous chapter, which explains its length. I didn't want to add anything extra as I already have the outline for the coming chapters planed out._**

* * *

 ** _I've released a new story as well, so if you have nothing better to do, why don't give it a read? It's an AU RWBY-fic, titled 'Hiding in the Wolf's Den'. Below is the synopsis:_**

 ** _Summary:_** So far, life had always been remarkably normal. Sure, I had a few embarrassing stories from childhood, but nothing too outrageous. It came as a bit of a surprise then when suddenly, somehow, I ended up at Beacon academy; the sole human stuck in a school populated by a colorful variation of supernatural beings known as faunas – a sheep attending a school for wolfs.


	8. A Different Type of Power

So, DMC 5 is out. Personally I feel like jumping around in place, cheering... but that'd be weird.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 8 – A Different Type of Power**_

 _ **Posted: 10-03-2019**_

* * *

Hephaestus was sitting in her office, working on a document. Or at least she was trying to, but because of a certain distraction she was having trouble focusing on the task at hand.

Tick mark firmly in place above her right eyebrow, she abruptly stood up, about to give the distraction a piece of her mind. "Okay! Enough Hestia! You've remained like that for the last nine hours. Enough is enough! Stand up!" She ordered.

Contrary to Hephaestus's command, the distraction remained on the floor in a deep bow, head touching the floor along with her hands and elbows. Even when Hephaestus went up to her and nudged her lightly with one foot, Hestia did not move from her position on the floor.

"Seriously." the Goddess of the Forge muttered quietly to herself. "What are you even doing?"

Hestia's response was about as helpful as the other goddess had come to expect of her. "I'm bowing."

"Yes, I can see that, but why are you bowing like… like _that?_ "

Still with mouth kissing the floor, Hestia responded. "It's called a dogeza." She supplied helpfully, "Take taught me it. According to him it's _the_ most humble way you can ask someone for a favor."

Ugh. What was that idiot god teaching her? Takemikazuchi was a good guy and all, but sometimes his fascination for ancient traditions could get a little old.

"Look, Hestia…" Hephaestus started, picking her words carefully, before deciding to just be as up front about this as possible. "You're not asking for some small favor here. You're asking for the moon. You do realize that most of the weapons my children sell – even the relatively cheap ones – go for millions of valis? I can't just give away something so expensive for free, even if we're friends, especially considering one of my smith's would have spent their blood, sweat and tears on crafting the weapon. It wouldn't be right."

Even through the logic, Hestia remained on the ground, stubbornly refusing to move even a muscle.

"Stand up." Hephaestus muttered.

"No."

"Please stand up."

"No!"

"Oh, for goodness sake, you stubborn little-" She cut herself of, tiredly rubbing the spot between her eyes as she could feel a headache coming on. She sighed. "Hestia, why are you going so far? There must be more to it than just wanting to give your child a strong weapon."

The short goddess remained quiet a little while, probably mulling over her words, before speaking up. "Bell, he-he's growing too fast. Unnaturally so."

Hephaestus crunched up her eyebrows in confusion. "But that's a good thing isn't it?"

For the first time that day, Hestia looked up from her spot on the floor, and a set of unreadable expressions flitted across her face. Hephaestus thought she looked almost… scared?

"I-I guess?" She muttered uncertainly. "It's just that, as his goddess, I want to be able to help him somehow… but I'm next to useless. Every day he goes deeper and deeper into the Dungeon, and I can't do a thing to help him. If I was a little more successful as a goddess maybe I could have provided him with better gear, or a skilled supporter at the very least, but it's not like I have the money for it…" She was still for a few seconds before adding in a quiet voice. "I'm terrified he'll leave for the Dungeon one day and then never return…"

Damn her. Playing on Hephaestus heartstrings like this. Well, she wouldn't fall for it. All gods worried for their familia-members in one way or another. She could still remember back when she'd just started her own Familia. Tsubaki had been one of her first and most promising members, so hardheaded and stubborn, yet at the same time filled to the brim with life. She could still remember clear as day that uncertain, almost nauseous, feeling that settled in the pit of her stomach whenever Tsubaki headed for the Dungeon to test her weapons, and the relief she'd feel whenever she returned safe and sound…

Damn it.

Hephaestus released a tired sigh. It was a sigh of surrender, of defeat. "Fine, I'll get something for that child of yours."

Hestia jumped to her feet, or at least tried to but because of the amount of time she'd spent on her knees her feet must have fallen asleep, so instead she ended up face-planting into floor. When she looked up again a small amount of blood was running down her nose, but that didn't stop the bright smile from blooming on her face, shining like the sun. "Thank you! Thank you!"

"I better get started immediately." Hephaestus rounded her table and retrieved one of the hammers hanging on the wall. "I'll have it done by tomorrow. Anything specific you want? What kind of weapons are Bell using?"

"Wait," Hestia looked at the other goddess with big round eyes, "will you make it yourself?"

Hephaestus scoffed. "Of course I will. This is a private matter between the two of us. I can't ask one of my children to do this. You got a problem with that?"

"No, of course not. How could I complain when the Goddess of the Forge herself will smelt Bell a weapon?!"

"Yeah, yeah." Hephaestus muttered. "Just to be clear though, I'm not doing this for free. You _will_ pay me back, even if it takes several centuries."

* * *

I'd never considered myself much of an artist. Unlike Welf, I didn't have that same drive and creativeness that made him such a skilled smith. He held a reverence for his craft that was difficult to match, valuing his creations in a way only true craftsmen could, almost considering them a part of himself; a representation of himself and his values.

In comparison; to me, the ability to craft had always been more of a necessity.

It was somewhat ironic then, that me of all people would acquire the Mystery development ability; one of the rarest crafting-orientated abilities out there. It was also ironic that the development ability would be the only one to follow from my previous life, considering how little I cared for the ability.

It wasn't that I didn't consider it valuable. It was perhaps the single most useful ability I'd ever had in my arsenal, past life included, and I wasn't about to pretend I didn't consider it valuable beyond measure.

If I could have chosen myself what development ability to bring along when going back to this time, I would still have selected Mystery. It was just that on an emotional level, I didn't care for it. It was a means to an end, nothing more.

Creating powerful weapons that could stand up to the floods of monsters emerging from the Dungeon had become a necessity, because without them we never would have survived for as long as we did.

It was for that same reason my falna had granted me the development ability in the first place. Back then, when things kept going downhill and our side kept losing battle after battle, forcing us out of Orario entirely, we'd all been desperate to come up with new plans and strategies to stand up to the enemy.

I'd decided to look into development abilities on a whim, and come across Mystery after about an hour of reading. Its description had read something along the lines of a _llows the user to create a miracle_ , and while that description admittedly didn't say much and was more than a little unclear, a miracle was exactly what we'd needed.

I hadn't actually thought I'd acquire the development ability the next time I leveled up, but I had, and I'd made good use of it, studying everything from smithing – with Welf as my reliable teacher – to potion making.

In this life too, I would utilize my Mystery skill to its utmost limits.

I was making my way through the streets of Orario, letting my memory guide me. Not my memory from my previous life, as I'd never actually been to the establishment I was currently heading towards, but instead the recollection of the map I'd memorized.

Another five minutes and I'd reached my destination. The building was smaller than I'd expect from a medicinal-type Familia, although maybe I should have anticipated it. The Vejovis Familia, was not as well-known as their competitor, the Dian Cecht Familia, so it stood to reason they wouldn't be as well off.

The Vejovis Familia specialized in selling various kinds of low grade potions, but that wasn't the only service they offered. You could also have potions analyzed, and – assuming the potion had not been magically altered – they could provide you with a detailed description of the ingredients making up the potion, as well as its effects.

The other day I'd been here making use of this service, having them analyze a potion of my own making, but not for my sake, but for _theirs._ I already knew exactly what ingredients they would find. And also what properties they would discover.

The double doors I entered through were about as plain as could be, engraved out of dark metal with some basic wooden decorations. I wasn't sure what I'd originally expected of the establishment itself, but the interior was simple, but homely, with a few wooden tables in the center along with a receptionist's desk off to the right. The homely feeling was only heightened by the fluffy cushions placed atop the chairs.

I walked up to the receptionist manning the desk, a moderately pretty girl with a round face, looking somewhat bored with one hand propped up against her cheek for support.

"Excuse me. I have a reservation." I smiled at the girl who looked up at my voice, expecting to see some recognition in her eyes.

"Yes. Name?"

There was nothing though. Had they not analyzed the potion I'd provided? They'd said it would only take a day and even provided me with an exact time I could come and collect the results. This entire endeavor relied on the Familia realizing the value of the potion I'd provided. Nonetheless I answered quickly, giving her my name. "Bell Cranel."

Slowly she started scanning a list of what was undoubtedly names, searching for mine. "O-Oh!" Her eyes widened and for a moment her mouth opened with no sound coming out. She collected herself quickly however, schooling her features. "Mr. Cranel. I did not realize it was you! My apologies." Yeah. That was more the reaction I'd expected. "Please. If you have the time, Vejovis-sama would like to have a word with you personally. Do... do you have time now, or should I book another appointment?"

"No, no, I have time."

"Good." She left her chair before going around the desk. "Please Mr. Cranel. This way."

Well good. Guess I'd worried for nothing. The god even wanted to met me personally, and considering how busy professional business Familias – such as this one – generally were, it spoke volumes that the god running the establishment had been willing to – at a moments notice – clear up his schedule just to have a meeting with a lone adventurer belonging to an I-ranked Familia.

The receptionist lead me through the simple hallway, running horizontally with the desk she'd just vacated, before stopping in front of a large door. She knocked three times and after hearing a "come in" she opened the door and motioned for me to enter. "Bell Cranel Sir. You said you wanted to have a word with him." She spoke.

The good looked up from his desk, silently studying me, before turning to the receptionist. "Thank you, Olivia." He turned to me again. "Please come in and have a seat." Technically I'd already entered when the receptionist, Olivia, motioned for me to do so, but well... it seemed more like a polite gesture on his part. "Would you like something to eat? A cup of tea perhaps?"

I sat down in the chair provided. "No thank you. I just ate, and tea isn't really... well... my cup of tea."

The god, Vejovis was his name, nodded before waving a hand towards Olivia, who with a slight nod left the room.

I turned back to the man sitting in front of me, taking in his features properly for the first time. Like most gods he was handsome, although perhaps lacking a little of the magnetism and flair that some of the more powerful gods possessed. His clothing were surprisingly... normal. An expensive looking all black suit along with a white bowtie tied around the neck. Most gods tended to dress in slightly less professional clothing, deciding instead to go with a more regal, exotic look.

While I had been studying the figure in front of me, he too had been studying me. I wasn't sure what conclusion he'd reached, honestly. Gods could be difficult to read.

When it became apparent I wasn't going to, Vejovis spoke up. "You are younger than I expected."

I wasn't sure where he was going with this. "Is that a problem?"

"Oh, gods no. I was just making an observation. Here in Orario, age matters very little."

That much was true. Ais had been allowed to enter the Dungeon as a supporter when she was no older than eight, maybe even younger. I think the same was true for Lili.

"So as I'm sure you already know," he started, "I am Vejovis. I won't bore you with the details of my divinity, but will at the very least say I have a personal interest in healing and medicine." Humble. For a god, that is.

I wasn't sure if he wanted me to introduce myself but did so anyway. "Bell Cranel. Adventurer, and sole member of the Hestia Familia."

"Nice to meet you." The god extended a hand which I shook. "So... let's get down to business shall we? I'm just going to come right out and say it. That potion you provided yesterday; after having one of my most skilled Familia members knocking on my door in shock while waving the potion in front of my nose, I analyzed it myself and I must say, I don't think I have ever come across a more perfectly balanced healing potion." When I didn't respond but instead kept passively studying the god he sighed. "But you already knew that, didn't you."

It wasn't a question but I answered nonetheless. "Yes."

"And I'm guessing you want to sell us the recipe?"

"Yes."

Vejovis frowned, placing his elbows on the desk. "So... you have us analyze a potion of your own making and just assume that we – a large E-ranked medical Familia – will want to buy it from you? Isn't that a little arrogant?"

"Not really. No."

He kept the frown in place, but ever so slightly the corners of his mouth started turning upwards. It looked a little like he was trying to decide if he should smile or frown, and instead ended up with a grimace that resembled neither. He released the air in his lungs with one powerful sigh, sagging in place. "Well, you're certainly right. We – I – definitely want to buy it. Which is why I'm speaking to you personally. So we can hash out a deal."

I nodded, shifting in my seat. If I wanted to get Lili out the peaceful way I needed money, which was what this entire endeavor was about. I'd amassed plenty of knowledge during my so far short life. Secrets I knew I could sell for plenty of money.

The only problem was how likely someone was of noticing any changes I made to Orario's finances. I was still trying to stay below radar, avoiding the eyes of the more influential powers in the city.

I needed a way of selling my secrets without drawing too much attention to my actions, and I figured selling an advanced recipe to a private company was the best way of doing this on such short notice. If I asked the god sitting in front of me to be discreet he would likely comply, if only to remain in my good graces.

And I knew he would want the potion I provided. How could he not, when its effectiveness was 15 percent stronger than your average, low grade potion. I hadn't used any advanced or expensive ingredients when creating it either, I'd simply combined them in the most optimal way possible, and the result was plain to see.

The creation process had been simple. Use Mystery to push the limits of a low level healing potion to its utmost limits and then reverse engineer it using normal ingredients. Of course the reverse engineered version hadn't been nearly as potent, as it had no magical power backing its creation. But still, 15 percent was quite a lot.

It was too bad I couldn't sell them the secrets to the potion I'd directly created using Mystery, as it had been almost 200 percent more potent than the original. But well… you couldn't really sell a recipe whose main ingredient was an incredibly rare development ability. Plus, if anyone found out I possessed the skill I would likely be hounded for the rest of my days, or at the very least until my Familia grew powerful enough to intimidate Orario's weaker factions into backing off.

The Vejovis Familia simply stealing my creation had also been a concern, but one I'd disregarded quickly. Most analyzing spells could pick out what ingredients a potion contained, but not how they'd been combined. The Familia had likely already tried recreating it, with little luck. They needed the exact recipe, otherwise they would never be able to reverse engineer the healing concoction.

So now came the moment of truth. How much money would this deal grant me? Admittedly I'd never been all that good at bargaining, it being more Lili's area of expertise, but I had learned a thing or two from Hermes. That guy was a haggling god, literally, and while I'd never reach his league, I was confident I would come out of this deal on top as long as I played my cards right.

So how was I going to do this? Try and impress the quality of what I was offering, and get Vejovis to raise the price of his own accord? Maybe bluff and make it sound like I'd already received plenty of offers, making him raise his offer that way?

No. In the end I was dealing with a god, and while not all gods were skilled negotiators their long lives did ensure a certain level of people skills. Hestia, for example, didn't have a tactful bone in her body but she was still surpassingly good at reading people, which was definitely a result of the millions of individuals – gods and mortals both – she'd interacted with over the years.

So in the end, I decided to simply be as direct as possible. "I want a starting payment of three million valis along with 25 % of the monthly profit you make of my product. For one year."

"25 %?" The god frowned. "That's a little much don't you think? Considering you're also demanding such a high starter payment." As a businessman he'd obviously try to lower the price. It was to be expected, and also something I'd prepared for. Vejovis continued. "You have to keep in mind any profit we make is not actually all profit, as approximately 40 % of what we earn is then used to create new potions. You take 25 % of that and we're left with only 35 % of the original profit, which is then used to pay our employees and so on. Considering all this, and the fact we will provide all the funds for the potion-creation in the first place, 25 % seems somewhat excessive, don't you agree? We'd barely be making any profit of the product."

All of it was sound logic, and hard to argue against. Vejovis didn't appear to rely on fancy speech or advanced rhetoric to win an argument. Instead, he appeared to be the kind of person who showered the opposition in pure logic that was just plain hard to argue against.

It was a sound strategy but unfortunately not one that would win him any points against me.

After all; I had no intention of arguing in the first place.

Still, I probably shouldn't push too hard in the beginning, and make it clear I was willing to negotiate. Wouldn't want any bad blood to develop between us.

I nodded my head, as if I'd agreed with everything he said. "I suppose you're right… how about 20 % then?"

Vejovis shock his head. "I'm afraid that's still quite a lot. How about 15 %? And we lower the initial starting payment to 1 million valis."

Dramatically lowering the starting payment while making me focus on the slight decrease of my monthly earnings. A classic trick negotiators used when making deals. He'd also delivered the latter with such confidence, making it sound like a lowering of the initial payment was a natural result of having the monthly profit lowered.

Of course I didn't fall for it, but again, even if I had, it wouldn't have mattered.

Suddenly I stood up, turning around as if ready to leave, Vejovis sending a questioning look my way. When I spoke I used the most neutral voice I could manage. "Please understand I don't want to make an enemy here, which is why I was willing to lower my initial offer at all, but I am not lowering it any further, nor lowering the initial payment at all. If you are not willing to meet my demands I will simply offer the recipe to another interested party. Like the Dian Cecht Familia for example."

"Mr. Cranel." He started, taking on a slightly demeaning tone, as if he was explaining something to a young child. It was a tone of voice most gods had become irritably adapt at utilizing. "Your initial offer was already quite unreasonable. We are one of the largest medical-type Familias in Orario. Do you honestly believe anyone would be willing to pay more than us?"

I couldn't help but smile at that. His exact words had been 'we are _one_ of the largest medical-type Familias in Orario.' This was entirely true. Even more impressive actually, they were amongst the two most profitable medical Familias in Orario, second only to the Dian Cecht Familia.

This was a very important detail, and one I would make good use of.

I made my way back to my seat, deliberately sitting down slowly to increase the tension.

Vejovis appeared to have noticed my smile, and visibly tensed. Huh. An effective way of unnerving someone was to smile for no apparent reason. The thing was, however, that I hadn't even meant it that way. I'd just smiled without thinking, not realizing it would have such a powerful effect on the god.

"No." I started, and again I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my lips. "No, I don't think any other Familia would be willing to pay more than you."

His eyes widened as he most likely realized the implications of my statement, recognizing what a bad position he was in.

It was simple really. The Vejovis Familia had been the _second_ most popular medical organization for almost _10 years_. They had never surpassed the Dian Cecht Familia's yearly sails.

This was for a very simple reason.

The products sold by the Dian Cecht Familia was better than the ones provided by Vejovis and his children. It was that simple.

Of course, this in turn meant the potions the Vejovis Familia peddled were cheaper, but most people still wanted the best quality they could get – well, best quality in a low grade potion.

This was why I knew not even the Dian Cecht Familia – even though they were richer – would be willing to pay as much as Vejovis would be for the recipe.

It was the one thing the god might need to surpass the Dian Cecht Familia. And considering how long they'd been rivals I could imagine Vejovis was itching for some payback. To finally surpass that one Familia that was always one step ahead of them.

My smile remained in place, even when Vejovis expression soured. In the end he sighed however, visibly slumping.

"You little brat." He muttered. "Fine. Three million along with 20 % of our monthly profits of your provided product." Huh. I honestly expected more pushback. "You have yourself a deal." He extended his hand.

And after a slight pause I took it, shaking it in mine.

* * *

 _ **I myself have no idea how to barter so I kind of just winged the whole second half of this chapter. Hope it came together well, nonetheless.**_

 _ **Ugh. This chapter was somewhat boring to write. I have this whole thing planned out that I really want to write, yet I have all these other stuff I need to set up first which is simply not as much fun to put on document. The god news is that there will probably only be like one or two more chapters before we finally get into the action, so look forward to that.**_

* * *

 _ **So I've made a change to how the Danmachi verse works and I figured I would explain it, as it was touched upon in this chapter. In the original light novel health-potions are capable of completely healing someone instantly. Bell is badly hurt and then he just drinks a potion and is completely recovered. To me this feels extremely cheap so in this story, low grade healing potions are not nearly as effective. They do heal, but they can't heal all wounds and they take much longer to take effect, which is why they aren't particularly useful in the midsts of combat.**_

 _ **With that said, there does in fact exist potions created using incredibly advanced magic that can heal anything short of death. They go for billions of valis however, so only the strongest of Familias would be able to buy them, and still maybe only one every other month.**_

 _ **With all that said I'd also like to explain something I didn't manage to squeeze into the chapter, as it just didn't seem relevant to the story. The Dian Cecht and Vejovis Familias aren't actually the most profitable medical Familias in Orario as they only sell to the general public. Essentially they mass-produce low and medium grade potions and are incapable of creating the truly powerful ones, as they simply don't have powerful enough adventurers. They are considered the top medical Familias because their products are cheap enough for the average adventurer to buy, but they don't actually sell the most powerful potions.**_

* * *

 _ **On Ais and her function in the story**_

 _ **So I have a confession to make. I have no plans whatsoever for Ais in this story. When I started writing this, my view on Ais as a character was less then ideal. I thought she was an emotionless doll with no personality whose sole purpose in the story was to give Bell something to chase. Of course I know better now, I've been enlightened; after reading Ais's Sword Oratoria (in manga form) I realized she was actually a super interesting character with one of the most adorably endearing personalities I've ever come across in almost any work of fiction, ever. But this still doesn't change the fact I have absolutely nothing planned for her.**_

 _ **This is a problem, as I want to do her character justice, but for the life of me I can't come up with a good enough idea.**_

 _ **So, how did**_ **you** _ **imagine Ais being introduced? What function do you think she should play in this fic? I need some inspiration. Give me your thoughts and ideas in a review.**_


	9. Under the Surface

Place the quote: "I didn't know what or when, but I knew, I'd know it when I knew it! An eclipse, that'll do it!"

* * *

 ** _Chapter 9 – Under the Surface_**

 ** _Posted: 13-04-2019_**

* * *

It was midday when I started making my way back to Hestia's church. I'd be going back to the Dungeon later, naturally, but I figured I should get something in my stomach first. Of course, fighting on an empty stomach was nothing new. Food had been quite scarce once Orario was destroyed in my previous life, and it only got worse once the enemy started occupying and-or destroying what few food-supplies were left. They didn't need to eat after all.

Still, no reason to starve if you didn't have to.

Entering the church, I expected to be greeted by Hestia but were surprised when she didn't. The church was eerily quiet, with not a hint of sunlight anywhere, meaning the blinds were covered. Was Hestia still sleeping? Normally the goddess woke up at about the same time as me, or at times even earlier, so it'd come as a bit of a surprise when – this morning when I left to negotiate with Vejovis – she'd still been sleeping soundly in her bed.

Come to think of it she'd come home extremely late yesterday – as in the sun was just about to resurface – so perhaps it wasn't too strange she'd decided to sleep in today.

But what had she been up to all day, anyway? I would have started worrying yesterday if she hadn't outright told me she'd be home late.

"Mh..." Hestia groggily opened her eyes as she was roused from slumber, before looking around the apartment in slight confusion. "Bell...? Are you leaving for the Dungeon?" As she sat up, the bed sheets covering her upper body fell of her slenderer form, revealing milky, smooth skin and a fair bit of cleavage. She tended to sleep in a thin nightgown that were quite, well... let's just say exposing, and that was saying something considering how revealing her normal, everyday clothes were.

Once upon a time the sight would have left me a blushing, blabbering mess; as opposed to now when I was more like, _eh?_

I was obviously still attracted to the female form but, well... after the first time you get to actually touch it, seeing it gets dramatically downgraded.

"Hestia..." I sighed. "Didn't I ask you to buy less revealing sleepwear?"

Still half asleep she looked down at her disheveled form. "These aren't revealing..."

"Half your cleavage is on display..."

"Oh..." She grabbed a hold of the part of her dress that kept her bust from spilling out, and tugged. As her apparel moved up, her two large mounds followed the motion almost as if they had a will of their own, before promptly expanding and filling into the nightgown perfectly.

Wow…

I'd always been kind of fascinated by the way the busts of goddesses and adventurers both tended to defy gravity and just the general laws of physics. Was it somehow related to the divine power they possessed? Goddesses in their arcanum and adventurers through their falna?

"There. All better." Hestia yawned, stepping out of bed. "What time is it-agh!?"

She was forced to shield her eyes as I removed the curtains, allowing the sun's rays to hit her straight in the face.

"Midday. You've slept almost four hours longer than usual." I explained. "I noticed you got home _really_ late yesterday. What have you been up to?"

Hestia looked up at me in confusion, before – like a switch being flicked – her eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah! I almost forgot!" She practically flung herself out of bed, before heading for the dinner table where a strange package I hadn't noticed until now was displayed. It was an oblong item wrapped in fancy white cloth.

"Here!" She chirped, appearing to have completely forgotten her tiredness in favor of whatever was wrapped in the cloth she was holding out to me. "A present!"

"My birthday isn't for a few months, you know." I stated, smiling slightly as I crossed my arms.

"I know that." She pouted petulantly. "Now open it!"

The fabric felt unnaturally soft in my hands. Was it silk? Placing the wrapped package back on the table I unfurled it.

Huh... A sword. A well-crafted one at that, with a clear, gleaming edge that, by my estimation, was far sharper than my current weapon, with... yeah; the Hephaestus brand on it.

Was this...? Yeah, I think it was.

My thoughts were confirmed when I touched the blade. My power – the excilia at my very core – reacted immediately, reaching out through my falna, trying to establish a connection with the power which far too much resembled its own. As in response the blade reached out as well through my subconscious. It too asking to establish a connection with my center power; with my soul essentially.

With an effort of will I weakened my control over the falna on my back, and just like that the bond was established.

It was interesting to note just how advanced my senses had become in only eight years. Back when I first acquired the Hestia knife it'd seemed like just a normal – if somewhat powerful – blade. It had taken me years before I even noticed that something was at all different about it, and even longer before I identified what.

Once I gained my Mystery development ability I'd decided to take it apart, and what I'd found had truly opened my eyes, realizing for the first time just what a master craftsman could actually accomplish.

The knife had been a true work of art, unique and matchless not in its design, but instead in how it could so effortlessly bound with other living beings as if it had a mind of its own.

It didn't of course. It had _simply_ been crafted to directly draw power from Hestia's divinity, which was why only her members could wield it.

Also, the word 'simple' here was relative, because while the base concept of the knife's function was relatively easy to understand, the execution was anything but.

With the Mystery skill at my disposal I'd tried replicating the effects, and while I'd eventually succeeded, it had taken me far longer than I'm proud of, not to mention the end result had been severely lacking if compared to the knife Hephaestus crafted in under an hour.

Admittedly she _was_ a goddess, so maybe I shouldn't have been comparing my work to hers, but it was still frustrating to realize just how far I still had to go.

This new blade in my arms had almost the exact same properties as the Hestia knife'd possessed, only crafted into a long-sword instead. It was likely because I'd all but stopped using knives at this point, preferring instead to use either normal broadswords or the slightly lighter rapiers.

Originally I'd used knives because it fit well with my speed-oriented fighting-style, but as the monsters emerging from the dungeon only increased in numbers and size, the need for reach had slowly started outweighing the importance of speed – piercing two meters worth of skin and bone with a 15 centimeter blade was quite difficult after all – and my fighting-style had adapted as a result. Today I was far more comfortable with a sword than with a knife.

Sensing Hestia's gaze I looked up.

Guess she was expecting some kind of reaction. I had only been holding the blade for a few seconds, but as she likely couldn't sense the changes that happened in me and the weapon, it probably looked like I was staring really intently at it for no reason...

Should probably say something.

"It's beautiful." I decided to go with, as it was undeniably the truth. "How could you possibly have afforded it? It must have cost a fortune." 500 million valis to be exact, or at least that was the extent of Hestia's debt the first time. Considering the ridiculously advanced craftsmanship that undoubtedly went into creating the weapon, it was a fair price in my opinion.

"Ah, well... didn't cost me a thing." She hesitated slightly. "Although I'll probably have to work for a while at Hephaestus shop to pay it back."

A tiny amount of irritation wormed its way into my mind. "A while, huh?" It would likely take her a lifetime to repay the debt.

"Yeah..." Hestia wouldn't meet my eyes. "A while."

In my previous life, the Hestia knife really had saved my life on multiple occasions. It grew in strength as I did, it was the sole weapon that could withstand being charged using Argonaut, and it never got damaged. It was the ideal weapon.

I had _needed_ it once... but not anymore. This new weapon – let's call it the Hestia Blade – would undoubtedly improve my piercing power, and stick with me for far longer than any other blade ever would.

But the thing was, with the funds I would shortly acquire, buying a new superior weapon wouldn't be a problem – the kind used in the lower floors of the dungeon, that was even more durable and powerful than the Hestia Blade currently was. It was only as strong as me, after all, and as I had yet to even reach level three, practically any weapon belonging to a level four or above would be more powerful.

Essentially, the Hestia weapon had been invaluable in my previous life, but it was not nearly as valuable in this one. And even then, Hestia would spend the better part of her stay in the lower world repaying the debt she owed to Hephaestus for crafting a blade I actually didn't really need.

I could feel the irritation fester. It just felt so unnecessary.

I released a tired sigh. "Hestia-sama... you shouldn't have."

"W-what?"

"You think I don't realize how valuable this is?" I questioned, holding up the blade. "You intend to pay Hephaestus back by working in one of her shops right? How long will that take? You do realize repaying the debt will take several decades, right?"

Hestia smiled hesitantly. "Don't worry. The debt is mine and mine alone. I'll deal with it." Awkward laughter followed the statement. "Plus. A few decades really isn't too much to a goddess."

"Hestia..."

"I said, don't worry! It's my problem." Suddenly she went up behind me, pushing me towards the couch. "Now sit down at the table and I'll prepare some food. You should never hunt on an empty stomach."

I nodded, deciding to let it go. It would take some effort, but I could probably pay of the debt myself in a few months. Although I'd have to dramatically increase my investments.

She walked past me, heading for the kitchen, only to stumble. Normally such a thing wouldn't have been noteworthy. Here in the mortal realm the flesh she inhabited were just as fragile as any other human's, and the same could be said for her coordination. Gods and goddesses were just as likely to stumble and trip as anyone else, as their divinity was sealed.

But there was just something about the way she stumbled. It was too sudden, and completely without reason.

She didn't trip over anything specific. It looked more like her knee just gave in, giving out below the light weight of her body.

"Hestia-sama? Are you okay?"

She righted herself. "Oh... yeah. Guess my knees are still kinda sore."

My gaze moved down, focusing for the first time on the discolored bruises on her kneecaps.

How had I not noticed them? I prided myself on my ability to notice the tiniest of details, so how could I have missed something so obvious?

My first thought was that someone had hurt her, but on second thought that didn't make much sense. First of all the chances of someone hurting a goddess were quite slim. Gods might have had their divinity sealed when arriving in the lower world but that didn't mean it didn't shine through.

All gods had this aura about them. A power that was impossible to ignore, making it so that whenever a god got within your general vicinity your eyes would automatically wander to them before you could stop yourself.

What most mortals didn't know though, was that this aura actually had a purpose. In order to minimize the chances of gods getting killed by mortals, Ouranos knowingly made it so that not all the divinity of gods would be sealed when entering the mortal plane. That tiny sliver that slipped out helped in identifying Gods and Goddesses, but it also made it next to impossible for normal humans to harm them.

Not because of a physical inability on the mortal's part, but a mental one. Whenever mortals even thought about harming celestial beings, they would quite literally be mentally assaulted by the divine aura of the god in question.

You needed a high level of mental fortitude to withstand this effect; a fortitude very few mortals possessed naturally.

This safeguard Ouranos had created was not perfect, however. The falna's blessing strengthened adventurers not only physically, but mentally as well, which was why high-leveled ones could still withstand the impulse not to harm Gods.

Any adventurer strong enough to harm Hestia would have to have been level three or above, and well, if she'd ended up facing someone like that she wouldn't have come out of it with just a few bruises on her knees.

Secondly, if someone hurt her she wouldn't have been so calm about it. I suppose it might have been possible she was hiding her emotions from me, but I'd known Hestia for a long time and I liked to think I'd become quite adapt at reading her.

"Where did the bruises come from?" Shouldn't jump to conclusions. Better to just outright ask her.

"Well..." she giggled, "Take taught me this ultimate 'ask someone for a favor' technique. It's called the dogeza. Used it on Hephaestus yesterday and it worked wonders."

Something was nipping at the back of my mind. An old memory from before Orario was destroyed, and things had been so much easier. Hadn't I heard Hestia say something similar before?

"Hestia-sama…" I started, sounding uncertain, "did you convince Hephaestus to make that weapon by kneeling in front of her desk for an unreasonable amount of time?"

"Uh? Well… it sounds kinda pathetic when put like that." She scratched the back of her head. "But yeah… essentially."

"And tell me. For how long did you bow?" I was unsure if she heard the warning in my voice.

"Ah, well…" She hesitated slightly before raising nine fingers.

"For nine minutes?" Well. That wasn't too bad. I had expected she'd been at it for 45 minutes at the very least.

"Not minutes…" she mumbled, not meting my eyes.

"W-What?"

"Not minutes… Hours."

Ugh. Of course I couldn't expect Hestia of all people to be even remotely reasonable. What had I been thinking? "You kneeled in front of Hephaestus' desk for nine hours?"

"Yeah…"

I shifted, the irritation coming back in full force. "And please, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Hephaestus's office-floor made out of carved rook… and nothing else?"

"Yeah…"

"So you kneeled atop uneven, rough, cobblestone for _nine_ hours?" Of course she'd ended up with bruises on her knees. Honestly it was amazing it hadn't outright started bleeding.

Hestia crossed her arms over her chest, pursing her lips petulantly as she sighed. "Really, Bell, I'm fine. You're such a worry wart." She grabbed a hold of me again, pushing me towards the couch where our dinner table was seated. "Now sit down and rest while I cook something easy and quick."

"Oh, no." I said as I stepped out of her grip before gently guiding her towards the sofa instead. "Your legs clearly hasn't recovered completely yet so _you_ rest. _I'll_ make the food."

"No-no. That's fine I'll-"

"Hestia. Rest. You pushed your body to far yesterday. And unlike me you don't possess a falna that helps you heal fas-"

"Enough!"

The exclamation came so out of nowhere that I actually jumped slightly in place, before turning to Hestia who was now glaring daggers at me.

"I pushed my body too far? That's rich coming from you." I honestly didn't think Hestia was capable of sneering, but she did, outright showing her teeth.

"Hestia. What are you...?"

"No! Shut up. I'm talking..." Her voice started strong, but waned towards the end, breaking of into a strange sort of whimper which genuinely hurt to hear. I never wanted Hestia to look and sound so afraid and uncertain.

I wanted to say or do something in response, but when her eyes watered any and all words just left me.

"Why will you never let me help you? Why do you insist on doing everything alone?" She started, furiously wiping at her eyes with her sleeves. "You come home every single day covered in cuts and bruises... oh, and a whole lot of blood of course."

"It's not that bad..."

"Yes! Yes it is! And when I ask what happened you just smile, as if nothing's wrong, and tell me you're fine." Hands down at her sides, she screamed at the top of her lungs. "People covered in blood are never fine!"

"Hestia, please... I'm carefu-"

"Careful?" She scoffed. "Careful!? A level 2 adventurer going down to the sixteenth goddamn floor, _alone,_ without a party, is not careful!"

She must have recognized the surprise on my face as she continued. "Yeah, I know... I talked to that advisor of yours, Eina was her name. She told me you've been down to the sixteenth floor on multiple occasions, refusing to heed her advice to stay on the safer floors." How she managed to both sob and seethe at the same time was beyond me. "You tell me you're careful, but you're not!" If it weren't for the tears in her eyes I might have laughed at the way her cheeks puffed out. "You, big. Fat. _Liar!_ "

For how long had she been feeling like this? How come I never noticed? Was I really that bad at reading emotions, or were Hestia just that good at hiding them?

And what could I possibly say in response? I had nothing. Or at the very least nothing Hestia would consider even remotely acceptable.

At my level of combat experience – born from hundreds of large scale battles spanning over several years – I could more or less predict what monster combinations I could defeat, and which were still beyond me, but my battle sense wasn't perfect so there had been a few close calls, hens the bruises and blood that Hestia had noticed. But the thing was that if I didn't push myself to the very brink of exhaustion I wouldn't level nearly fast enough, and that was really all that mattered.

When the time came I needed to be strong enough to crush that which would otherwise crush me. It was either eat or be eaten, which was why I couldn't afford to slow down.

But I couldn't tell all of this to Hestia. She might believe me, but she wouldn't understand.

She'd calmed down a little at this point, but her voice still wavered when she spoke. "When I worry about you, you lie to my face. You won't talk to me, won't let me try and help you – even though I can't do much –" she added sullenly, "and when I finally figure out a way to be of some use, somehow managing to get you a powerful weapon, you tell me I shouldn't have… and now you won't even let me make you your food!"

She was winding up again, visibly growing more agitated as she drew her whole body closer together, most likely in an unconscious defensive motion, somehow looking even smaller as a result… so I did the only thing I could think of.

I hugged her.

It was a bit of a Hail Mary honestly, as I had no idea how she would react, hoping against hope it wouldn't be violently.

She tensed in my grasp, and for a moment I feared the worst, but then she just deflated, slumping into my arms.

"That's not fair…" she breathed into my chest, "you can't just go and embrace me like this without warning. How am I supposed to remain angry at you if you do?"

I couldn't help the tired laugh that escaped my lungs. "Sorry… guess I'm unfair like that."

"Yeah… you are."

…

"Thanks for the weapon by the way. I'll make good use of it."

My goddess sniffed into my shirt. "You're welcome…"

* * *

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He was just a completely normal adventurer, belonging to an utterly average Familia with no extra backing. He was a nobody.

Zanis sighed tiredly as he stretched in his chair, his back muscles cracking pleasantly as he did. He'd spent the last two days seeking information about Bell Cranel, trying to figure out what powerful backer Crabel must have had to dare act so indifferently in front of him. Zanis was the captain of a very large Familia after all, and as a result not many dared upset him in any way.

He'd found very little though. Cranel belonged to the Hestia Familia, a newly formed I-ranked Familia that was utterly normal in every way, and while Hestia appeared to have a close relationship with Hephaestus – one of the more influential goddesses in Orario – there was nothing to suggest the 'goddess of the forge' had any direct connection to the much smaller Familia.

Then why had Cranel dared act so prudent in front of him, completely uncaring that he had stood in front of someone who could ruin his life with a single order? The answer was simple. Cranel was unaware of how strong some of Orario's adventurers were.

Zanis had been greatly underestimated, which would have normally been insulting, but considering Cranel's circumstances it actually made a certain amount of sense.

Cranel had only been inside Orario for a little over two weeks now, meaning he must have reached level 2 outside of Orario, which, Zanis had to admit, was fairly impressive. But this still didn't change the fact that, while Cranel might have been strong for someone outside Orario, in terms of level he was just barely above average inside the city.

Orario had hundreds of level two's after all, so inside the city Cranel was nothing special.

According to his sources, Cranel's stats had still been no higher than I when he registered at the Guild a few days ago. Zanis himself had reached E in most of his basic stats, even one D, so he was confident he could defeat Cranel should it come to it.

Not that he'd need to though… with more than a hundred adventurers at his beck and call.

So then – with the knowledge that Cranel was no threat – how should he be dealt with? Normally Zanis would have been content to just leave him be, seeing as he hadn't actually done anything to harm the Soma-Familia or hinder its operations. But he wanted to buy one of the Familia's members, and that was a problem.

He had to be dealt with, Zanis just wasn't sure how…

On that note though, Liliruca Arde was apparently alive. Zanis hadn't seen her for multiple years now, so he'd just kind of assumed she'd died in the dungeon, trying in vain to collect money from beasts she couldn't hope to defeat.

If Cranel was to be believed however she was still alive.

Zanis could think of only one reason for why she'd been away from the Familia for such a long time; why she'd avoided coming in to get her falna updated for several years.

She must have been collecting money, with the hope to one day leave the Familia.

Which of course was unacceptable. _No one_ left the Some-Familia. It would give other members the inaccurate impression they could actually leave if they wanted to.

Most of the members were of course heavily reliant on Soma at this point, choosing on their own accord to stay as that was the only way they could keep drinking the beverage, but some of the newer members hadn't grown properly dependent on the wine – drug really – yet, and could therefore potentially decide to leave if given the chance.

No. To make sure no one got any ideas she had to be dealt with. Luckily she was easier to handle than Cranel, as she was already a part of the Soma-Familia.

Yes. She'd be punished. A humiliating, _public_ , punishment; to discourage anyone else from following in her footsteps.

She would be made an example out of.

* * *

 ** _So I ended this chapter on a kind of negative note, relying on drama to create some foreshadowing. I've seen this done in a lot of other stories, but I'm kind of wondering if the chapter would have been a more satisfying read if I'd started with Zanis's scene and ended with the sweet hug scene between Hestia and Bell? Tell me what you think in a review._**

* * *

 ** _Should probably also point out how level 2 adventurers, even inside Orario, isn't nearly as common as Zanis made it sound. Zanis was determining Bell's perceived strength based on his own level, and since he too is a level 2 he wasn't overly impressed by Bell's level._**

 ** _In actuality however, over 90% of Orario's adventurers are level 1, so obviously level two's would be considered more than just 'barely above average.'_**

* * *

 ** _Lastly, I'd like to add my thought on honorifics, and their use in this story. I try to use them most of the time, but sometimes I just forget, and others, it just feels unnatural for English speaking individuals to use them._**

 ** _So here's what I'm going to do. I'll only use honorifics when it's necessary from the perspective of a specific character._**

 ** _Gods are a very special existence, so when mortals address them they'll almost always be adding 'sama' to the end of their names; with the exception of Bell, who only adds the suffix when addressing Hestia (this will be explored in more detail later)._**

 ** _Similarly, Lili always tries to be as polite as possible so she will almost always add the 'sama' suffix when addressing other adventurers, or at the very least until Bell earns her trust properly._**

 ** _Other, more common, everyday honorifics such as 'san,' or 'kun' will not be used, as they are simply not as crucial to how one character views another._**

 ** _I might use 'chan' at times, to illustrate a closeness between a male and female character (or two females), but you're not going to see it nearly as often as the 'sama' suffix._**


	10. Crozzo in Name Only

So, I slept like two hours last night, which is why I really should be deathly tired right now, and I am, but only in a physical sense. My brain doesn't seem to realize it probably should currently be resting. It's like, "Nah… those two hours of sleep was actually just a short nap. Let's stay up another 15 hours. It's cool." All the while my body is like, "Argh! I'm dying! Need. Sleep. Please…"

* * *

 _ **Chapter 10 – Crozzo in Name Only**_

 _ **Posted: 25-05-2019**_

 _ **Last updated: 26-05-2019**_

* * *

A hammer struck, over and over, slowly moulding the piece of metal it was striking into a weapon.

Not any weapon either. It would take the shape of a sword, but one powered by magic, and the explosive kind at that.

His ancestors had considered the magic a gift, but to him it was nothing but a curse.

Welf didn't know why he was the only one in the family who still possessed the skill, originally gifted to his family by an ancient spirit. All he knew was that he didn't want it.

He'd been shown true craftsmanship by Hephaestus. And his so called 'magic sword creation' was nothing in comparison.

It might have possessed a lot of destructive power, greatest amongst all magic-sword smiths in fact, but the craft lacked heart. There was no finesse to creating magic-swords. No skill. All he needed to do was activate his skill, strike a piece of metal for a few minutes... and that was it.

Not that he would ever attempt it – his honor as a blacksmith wouldn't allow it – but theoretically it was possible to fashion one of his magical constructs into a spade, bucket, or any other random item, and the piece of metal would _still_ have the same destructive properties as a magic-sword.

That was the difference between Welf's magic-sword craft and any other magic-type smith. The art of magic-sword creation normally required expensive materials and a high theoretical understanding of both smithing and metallurgy, along with an exceedingly high level of magic-power.

Welf had none of these things, and yet he could craft weapons the likes of which even a first class adventurer would balk at facing. It was all because of a single skill, buried deep within the Falna on his back.

That was part of the reason Welf hated his skill to such a degree. The weapons it allowed him to create could take the lives of hundreds of people in a matter of seconds. The blast would seek to incinerate anything standing in its path, be they friend of foe, and the worst part was that once the destruction was over and done with, the sword would leave its wielder, disintegrating into dust.

So then why? Why was he now making one of his hated magic swords? Even though the mere sight of it filled him with distain and just general disgust.

One could say he had been spurred into doing it. For the first time in his life someone had managed to, if not completely change his view on the ancient craft, then at least changed the way he thought of what it could do. He still considered it a curse, but maybe, just maybe, it was a little _more_ than just a curse.

Bell, of course, had been the source of Welf's new way of thinking, and he'd only said a few words.

It happened just a few hours ago.

* * *

 _ ***A few hours earlier**_

"You ruined your armor again?" Welf sounded tired.

Bell, who so far had destroyed four sets of Welf's armor – this was the fifth – scratched his head sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry. It's good armor... it's just..."

"Yeah, yeah." The smith muttered, somewhat sullenly. "You wouldn't let me follow you into the Dungeon yesterday. Originally I'd been a little offended; thinking you thought I wasn't strong enough to follow you to whatever floor you had decided to visit." He paused, mulling something over, before seemingly reaching a decision. "But if whatever you fought was capable of reducing your armor to its current state then perhaps it was a good thing I didn't come along. What did you fight anyway?"

Bell was quiet for a while before answering. "Minotaurs."

"You fought a Minotaur?" Welf wondered, sounding surprised. "Arn't they like, super strong?" Welf honestly wasn't sure why he was even surprised. Minotaurs might have been the very strongest among third class adventurers, but from the way Bell fought he was most likely already at the very pinnacle of Level 2. Logically he should have been able to handle monsters like Minota-wait a moment.

"Did you just say Minotaur _s_ " Welf started uncertainly. "As in, more than one?"

"Ah," Bell scratched his head again. He tended to do that when being questioned at times, Welf had noticed. "Yeah... there were four of them... I think."

Welf just stared at him.

Damn! That was impressive. He'd actually never seen a Minotaur, but he sure had heard about them. Generally, only veteran third class adventurers tended to go after Minotaurs, and even then they generally only hunted in groups.

And yet Bell – at the age of 14 he had to remind himself as he sometime forgot Bell was younger than him simply because of how mature the other boy acted – had singlehandedly defeated a group of them.

Welf wondered if he would ever become so powerful. He didn't think it was particularly likely. He'd still need to reach Level 2, yes, so he could acquire the Blacksmith development ability, but still he somehow lacked that natural grace Bell always showcased when wielding that sword of his. It was a grace Welf doubted he himself would ever be granted.

"Well, either way. I'll start on a new piece of armor for you immediately."

"I appreciate it. Do you have the resources, or do I need to buy something?"

"No, no." Welf shock his head. "I have everything I need." The first few times he'd crafted Bell's armor the boy had offered to pay, but Welf had graciously declined. Ever since joining Bell's party he'd almost doubled his daily income, and to be clear that was after splitting the earnings equally between him, Bell and Lili. Not to mention Bell always let him keep any high level materials they found, assuming they could be used for crafting.

After all that it felt kind of greedy to demand payment for the armor he provided.

He profited far more by working with Bell after all, than the other boy did, working with him.

"I'll be done in an hour or two. You're welcome to wait here if you want to." He gestured towards a couch in the corner.

"Ah. Actually I promised someone I would stop by a certain pub whenever I had the time and I guess now is as good a time as any. Why don't you come with? We won't be going into the Dungeon anymore today anyway, so you might as well take a pause and finish the armor tomorrow."

"Well, why not." Welf put down his blacksmith tools and put on his jacket. It was brisk out. "Where are we going?"

"The Hostess of Fertility. Ever heard of it?"

"You kidding me? Of course I have. The place is pretty popular."

Bell smiled, nodding his head. "Let's go then."

On the way there they discussed small things. Like what Bell thought of Orario and where he'd been living before moving here. In response Welf told the white haired adventurer about his time in Rakia, what it was like living there.

"Oh, yeah." Bell started, sounding completely unconcerned. "You're a Crozzo huh? You know, I've heard rumors. They say you are capable of creating some really powerful magic swords but that you for some reason choose not to."

"Well, yeah... that's true."

Bell must have heard a little of the heat and bitterness in his answer as he raised his hands in the air as if trying to defend himself from some invisible enemy. "Again, maybe it's none of my business, and obviously if you don't want to talk about it you don't have to, but I guess I'm just a little bit curious as to why?"

Welf never liked talking about his so called gift. When he first arrived in Orario a whole lot of people tried to get him to make swords for them, offering frankly ridiculous things in return. He turned them all down of course. But it got somewhat tiring when people wouldn't take no for an answer. He was really lucky he'd ended up in Hephaestus' Familia. Any other, smaller Familia, would likely have been swallowed whole by all the people demanding he make magic swords for them.

Welf turned to the other boy, regarding him carefully. Bell wasn't one of those people though. One couldn't detect a hint of greed in his eyes, it simply wasn't in his nature. He just looked curious.

Welf sighed. "I don't know why, but amongst my Family I am the only one still capable of making magic swords. As to why I don't make them anymore... well... I just don't like them. They hurt my pride as a smith."

Bell seemed to mull that over for a while, before asking. "What do you mean?"

"I've always held smiths in high regard. As a kid I found there was just something so... inspiring about the way they could work on a single item for hours on end without tiring... I don't know. It's hard to explain." The sigh he released this time was even more explosive. "But the same can't be said about my magic sword crafting ability. It's crude, without an ounce of finesse. Plus, what I hate the most about them, about all magic swords. They break. Maybe not immediately, maybe they'll last a few swings, but sooner or later they all break, effectively abandoning their wielder." Welf clenched his fists. He was getting angry again. "That's quite different from normal swords, which can last their wielder a lifetime."

Bell had been nodding along throughout the explanation, not saying anything. When Welf quieted he decided to speak up. "So, your main reason for avoiding your unique craft is because magic swords break when wielded?"

"Well, there are other things, but I suppose that's my main concern."

"Then... why don't you make one that won't break?"

Confusion raced through the young smith as he absorbed the words. "What?"

"Make one that won't break."

"Well, if that was possible it's obviously what I'd have done, but it's not. Of course they can last longer depending on the quality, but eventually their magic power will run out, and they will break. That's just how it works."

They had both stoped in the middle of the road, Bell with a smile on his face and Welf with a slight scowl.

"Says who?" Bell crossed his arms. There was a glint to his eyes. One that was hard to miss but difficult to interpret.

"Again. I'm not sure what you mean. It's simply not-" woah! He was close. Way, way to close. With one hand on the smith's shoulder, Bell moved forward while at the same time pushing him down a little, making it so that even though Welf was way taller, they were at eye level.

Once again he was reminded of just how _red_ Bell's eyes were. Like little ruby's, almost seeming to shine under the sunlight. "Just because it hasn't been done before doesn't mean it's impossible," he started, dead serious, "if magic swords disappoint you so because they vanish and abandon their wielder after being used, then why settle for such a magic sword? Instead, make one that will never break. That will follow its wielder until the very end."

* * *

 _ ***Back to the present**_

Welf hefted the large sword he'd just crafted onto his shoulder before walking over with it to his desk, looking it over. He didn't dare test it. Not inside his own smithy at the very least, as a single swing would likely destroy the entire building.

Instead he stopped to inspect it, looking for imperfections. When he found none, he smiled in satisfaction.

Perhaps he'd been looking at his craft entirely wrong, all this time. Perhaps it wasn't about its simplicity, but instead about his own inability to make it into something more than it already was.

Who said the sword _had_ to break? Who said its destructive power couldn't be managed? Controlled?

Welf still very much hated the craft he'd been gifted, hated what it stood for, but for once in his life he considered it more than just a burden.

If logic, commonsense, and just general expectations demanded the magic of his craft acted a certain way, then he'd _break_ those expectations. He'd go against them and forge a magic-sword the likes of which no one had ever seen before.

A magic-sword he could be proud of.

* * *

 _ ***The next day**_

"Morning Lili."

The small girl jumped slightly as I spoke up behind her, before spinning around. "B-Bell-sama! Don't scare me like that!"

I scratched my head awkwardly. "Sorry, although to be fair I called out to you two times before reaching you and I wasn't exactly quiet in my approach." She seemed jumpier than normal. "Something on your mind?"

She looked like a deer caught in the flash of a light spell for a moment, before she shook her head wildly from side to side. "Bell does not have to worry! Lili is completely fine. She was just... mulling some things over."

I studied her for a moment before nodding in acknowledgement, letting the matter drop. If she didn't want to talk about it she didn't have to.

"So... where's Welf?" It was rare to arrive before him actually. He was an early riser. The very definition of a morning person.

"Oh, actually." She sounded slightly uncertain. "Welf-sama told Lili he wouldn't join us today. Not entirely sure why. He just said he was working on a project. He said he would join us tomorrow though."

Huh. Guess my little speech had really worked.

I honestly felt kind of bad about that. I had no idea if it was actually possible to create unbreakable magic-swords in the first place. Welf had never managed it the first time, so it was difficult to tell if it was at all possible.

I felt like I'd manipulated him into doing something he might never achieve. He hated magic-swords. I knew this. But at the end of the day I would need those weapons mass-produced eventually, as the Dungeon wouldn't stay silent forever, so I felt my small manipulation of my friend could be excused.

They wouldn't do much against the Celestials of course, but they would be useful in quelling the waves of smaller monsters which would eventually push their way to the surface.

Well, small in terms of the power I'd possessed at the time. They were still all at the very least Level 4 to 5.

Lili brought me out of my thoughts. "Bell-sama?"

I'd been spacing out... needed to stop doing that. "Ah, yeah. Shall we go?"

Lili nodded, turning in the direction of the Dungeon entrance...

And then her stomach growled. It was a loud, deep sound, reminding me strangely of a dogs growl.

"Wow." I tried to keep the smile from showing on my face but didn't quite manage. "You hungry?"

The small girl opposite me wouldn't meet my eyes, while at the same time a small sheen of red could be seen on her cheeks. "Lili didn't eat much yesterday... and didn't have time for breakfast either. But she isn't too hungry yet. She can wait till after we're done in the Dungeon."

Of course she wouldn't admit to being hungry. She was still wary around me, even to the point she avoided eating things i offered and just generally didn't seem to want to eat around me, which was most likely an unconscious defensive mechanism on her part.

But I didn't want her going hungry simply because of her distrust. It was kind of my fault after all, that I _still_ hadn't earned her trust. Guess her first impression of me had been worse than I thought.

Hm... maybe we could... "You know what. _I'm_ actually a little hungry myself. How about we go somewhere to eat? My treat."

It looked like she was about to answer in the negative but then her stomach growled, again, even louder this time. With a prominent blush overtaking her features she nodded uncertainly.

"Great! Just follow me. Ever heard of the Hostess'?"

* * *

"Here you go!" Syr sang as she placed a plate in front of me. "Enjoy!"

"Uh... Syr-san?" I sighed. "This is a bit more than I ordered."

"Come now Bell-kun." The girl chided me, a bit over dramatically in my opinion. "You're a big boy. You need to eat!"

I sighed again, only this time there was a slight smile on my face. "You sure you just don't want me to eat more and therefore pay more?"

Syr gasped dramatically. "I would never take advantage of my costumers like that!" She sounded genuinely offended... which of course only meant she was a good actor. "I just want you to be healthy! You're always so thin. You need to eat more." The peppy waitress turned to Lili. "And what about you? Is the meal to your satisfaction?"

Lili, at least, had a normal sized meal. "Yes. Thank you very much. It's delicious!"

"Told you so, didn't I?" I told Lili, raising my glass and after a slight pause she touched her's to mine, making a toast.

The Hostess was relatively packed, it almost always was really, but not nearly as rowdy as it tended to be towards the evening. It was still technically a pub, but during the morning and day it acted more like gaudy restaurant, still selling alcohol of course but not as strong. It wasn't until later that people started drinking for real.

I wasn't sure why either, but the pub housed a surprising number of adventurers for some reason. Guess we weren't the only ones who'd decided to have a bite to eat here, before heading for the Dungeon.

You could tell apart adventurers from civilians mostly by how they were dressed, however, luckily enough I'd finally reached a high enough level to be able to sense the people around me.

It wasn't a specific skill I'd acquired, but an ability all adventurers technically had. It was just a matter of learning to sense divine power, or to be more specific, excellia. It required control, and a closeness to the falna on your back which normally took years to build. In fact, it _had_ taken me years, back in my original body.

Irritably enough I hadn't been able to use this ability when first acquiring Hestia's blessing, but had needed to reach a high enough level first. Guess I needed to possess a certain amount of excellia myself before I started being able to sense it, or at least that was my theory.

I scanned the surroundings, picking out the adventurers from amongst the civilians. Mia didn't appear to be in, as her presence likely would have stood out to my senses like a miniature sun. Not counting Ryuu and the other waitresses, most of the ones gathered were Level 1, with a few Level 2's added to the mix. No Level 3 though, which was to be expected considering how rare they were.

Of course it was in that moment that a presence far surpassing all others entered my awareness, and suddenly I felt like I was suffocating. It felt like a massive, invisible boulder was bearing down on me, trying to crush me beneath its great weight.

With a grunt of exertion I turned my senses off, before taking a few seconds to recover my bearings. Holy hell. I'd been the strongest for so long that I'd completely forgotten what it felt like to meet someone so completely out of your league they could likely crush you as easily as you would crush a bug.

When Finn Deimne entered the bar, I wasn't at all surprised, nor when the rest of the Loki-Familia followed behind him.

* * *

 _ **So last chapter I received a review stating that Bell surpassed the stat limits on all his stats in cannon before leveling up and that this didn't happen in this story, which... is not true. I suppose it was a bit if a mistake not to make clear what Bell's stats looked like moments before reaching level two, so I figured I should add them here below.**_

 _ **\- / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -**_

 _ **Bell Cranel – Level 1**_

Strength: 1012 (SS)

Endurance: 892 (A)

Dexterity: 1346 (SSS _ **SS**_ )

Agility: 1298 (SSS _ **S**_ )

Magic: 323 (F)

 _ **\- / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -**_

 _ **As you can see his stats where just as ridiculous this time around as they originally were, if maybe even more so (not including magic).**_

* * *

 _ **I know some of you were looking forward to the confrontation with the Soma-Familia, but sadly that might take a few more chapters than originally anticipated. A few chapters ago I wrote that there would only be one or two more chapters before the action starts, and well, let's just say I somewhat miscalculated, as I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little longer.**_

 _ **So next chapter will be introducing the Loki-Familia, along with a little more about Syr and Ryuu. Then it's time for the Monster Feria, which I might have to split in half, depending on its length. And**_ **then,** ** _finally, stuff will start for real._**

* * *

 _ **And also, you can disregard what I wrote about honorifics last chapter in the authors-note. I realized that some of the future scenes won't work as well unless I make regular use of honorifics the same way they are used in the manga (with a few changes to Bell's own usage of course). I realize so far I've been kind of bad at using them so I'll likely go back to earlier chapters some time in the future and add the correct suffixes wherever necessary.**_

 _ **Ugh... honorifics are such a pain.**_

* * *

 _ **Haven't had much time to look through this chapter so there may be more mistakes than usual. Please point them out if you find any.**_


	11. Calm, part 1

Can't think of anything to write here so instead of searching for random facts on google I'm just going to admit this and move on.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 11 – Calm, part 1**_

 _ **Posted: 05-10-2019**_

 _ **Beta:** **FirstTimeStoryTeller**_

* * *

They all stopped and stared, before promptly parting, giving the Familia somewhat more room than strictly necessary.

Bete scoffed to himself. It had been kind of weird in the beginning, realizing how a crowd reacted when faced with a powerful and well known Familia such as their own, but by this point he'd grown used to it.

Still didn't make him any less disgusted though. It was a well-known fact to the rest of his Familia that Bete hated weakness above all else. Or to be more precise; cowardice and indecision, which was the very definition of how the crowd around them were currently acting; whispering and pointing at the _Loki Familia_ as if they were celebrities no one dared approach but desperately wanted to.

"Come on you sourpuss! Why are you making that face?" Tiona bounded up on his side, full of life like usual, completely ignoring the attention their presence was garnering. "Are you still embarrassed over the fact you essentially confessed to Ais yesterday- Awww~ you're blushing!"

He was not! Bete Loga didn't blush. The heat rising to his cheeks must've been because of some other reason. Maybe it was due to hunger, as he hadn't had any breakfast or lunch yet, or maybe it was due to his lack of sleep the night before.

...Admittedly he'd never heard of anyone getting red cheeks because of any of these reasons, but Bete Loga _did not blush,_ so the color couldn't have been because of embarrassment.

And he never confessed either! He was sure of that! Or at least somewhat sure...

He couldn't _actually_ remember the event in question, stupidly drunk as he'd been.

Suffice to say, both Tiona and Tione had taken great pleasure in describing the scene to him after the fact, outright rolling around on the floor, laughing, after seeing his horrified expression.

The sadistic asses...

"But, you know, I'm rooting for you! I really am," one of said asses continued, "you guys would look soooo cute together!"

For the life of him, he couldn't tell if the amazon was serious or not. Although... considering the way she appeared to have difficulty holding back her laughter she probably wasn't.

Come to think of it she was acting a little strangely, wasn't she? Her sister, Tione, was normally the one with a clear interest in love and romance; wholly focused on their captain of course.

...Perhaps a little _too_ focused in fact most would agree.

One such example was when the older sister had spent half a day perfecting a single chocolate-cake during valentines, meticulously building up the treat from the base using at least a dozen different chocolate creams from half as many high-class pastry stores, constantly maintaining the kind of vigil normally reserved for guard duty on the lowest floors of the Dungeon; all of this with an intensity which boggled the mind, and – if Bete were completely honest with himself – mildly terrified him.

Suffice to say; most of the male members (and a surprising number of female members as well) of the Familia decided to stay well away from the kitchen during this time, and Bete was ashamed to admit he'd been one of them.

He had no idea how Finn managed to weather – and yes, that was a perfectly acceptable use of the word – her advances.

Anyway, none of this was the main point. The point was that the label 'love-struck teenage girl with the finesse and patience of a starved grizzly bear' could be applied to Tione, the older sister, but not Tiona, the younger Hiryute.

She'd never shown even the slightest interest in romance of any kind, which made her current focus on his failed courtship of Ais – if it could even be called that, seeing as he couldn't even remember what he'd done or said – all the more strange.

Or maybe she was just taking the piss out of him? Both amazons had always enjoyed teasing after all.

A few minutes later the main attack force of the _Loki Familia_ entered the Hostess of Fertility. It wasn't a special day per see, but well, Gareth of all people had mentioned a new mead the establishment was serving. Finn had wanted to give it a try, and Tione, after somehow overhearing their conversation had jumped on the chance to tag along. One thing led to another and suddenly all the top members of the Familia had been dragged along.

Or well, maybe dragged was too extreme a word. Bete didn't exactly regret coming along. The Hostess served great food after all, even during the daytime.

"There, there! A table!" Tiona exclaimed excitedly before grabbing Ais and her sister, dragging them along behind her. Loki, Finn, Gareth, Riveria and himself followed along at a more sedate pace.

Bete scoffed to himself. "You'd think Tiona would have learned not to act like a small child by now." Seriously, it wasn't like the table would disappear if they didn't rush up to it, and even if someone else claimed it before they could, there were still plenty of other tables they could use.

He didn't hear it when his goddess snuck up on him from behind, hence why he almost jumped slightly when she whispered in his ear. "What are you muttering about, Bete?"

The fact she was technically just a normal woman with her divinity locked away, only made her ability to sneak up on him all the more impressive. Realistically, it shouldn't even have been possible. Her senses and muscles were utterly average, while his were next to perfect. No adventurer below Level 4 could sneak up on him, so how was it possible that Loki could? That was the effect of having lived forever he guessed. She'd had an eternity to train and perfect her stealth skills.

"You know, you should try smiling more." His goddess continued. "Here like this." And without further prompting she grabbed a hold of his cheeks and forced them up into what could be called a smile if one were being generous. Bete was sure it looked more like had a toothache though.

"Stop that..." He growled, taking a step to the side to avoid his goddess' heavy handed ministration. It didn't hurt. Not even a little, as she was nowhere near strong enough to damage the skin of a Level 5. Even if she outright tried to punch him in the face, her hand would undoubtedly come out of the exchange far worse than his face.

Didn't make her fondling of his cheeks any less uncomfortable tough…

In his haste to get out of Loki's range he failed to notice the small body right next to his left before it was too late.

The collision was inevitable and sent the tiny girl sprawling to the ground.

She was short, with chestnut-colored hair equally short. In fact, he was pretty sure she was a Pallum like their captain, although that's where their similarities ended.

Ugh...

He saw it the moment she looked up at him. Eyes remarkably wide for but a second before she looked back into the ground. "S-sorry..." She half said, half whispered as she scrambled to her feet.

Why was she apologizing? He bumped into her. He should have been the one to apologize.

He didn't though. Instead he just scoffed as he turned away from her. "Weakling." He muttered, loud enough for her to hear him.

It was no secret to the members of his Familia that he despised weakness, but very few actually understood what weakness _actually_ was.

Being physically weak didn't necessarily mean you would remain as such. Everyone had been physically weak at one point in their life, including Orario's current top adventurers.

That was the thing about strength after all. You had to work hard to acquire it. You had to push your body above and beyond its limits, letting it break down over and over again, before letting it heal, until it was strong enough to _remain_ strong.

Even more important was also having the guts to strive for strength, refusing to back down and admit defeat. To remain strong in the face of opposition by, for example, standing up to the rude wolf-man who'd just bumped into you without even apologizing, instead of, say, averting your eyes in fear and apologizing yourself.

Such clear submissiveness genuinely disgusted him. She was so desperate to avoid conflict that she'd likely just bow down and further apologize if he decided to step on her.

 _That_ was weakness.

Loki hummed to his right as they continued towards the table Tiona had already claimed as her own. "That wasn't very nice, you know." She sent him a knowing look, as if she'd been completely capable of following his most recent train of thoughts in regards to the Pallum girl.

"Mind your own business." was his only reply.

Bete was about to simply claim the chair closest to him, which just so happened to be the one next to Finn's, but after getting the stink eye from Tiona wisely decided against it.

Her mistake was sitting down before their captain, but she could quite easily rectify this by simply giving a believable excuse to leave the table and then return, claiming the seat next to Finn without saying anything and acting as if it was completely normal. If the seat in question ended up occupied, however, this entire strategy would go down the drain, so the possessive amazon made sure to convey with her eyes that if anyone tried to steal the seat from her she would string them up by their balls.

Bete got the message just fine, instead moving a few seats to the right, sitting down next to Riveria.

And then a white haired boy he didn't recognize plopped down right next to him.

* * *

"Weakling..."

Had the word come from anyone else I would've probably gotten angry, but in the end it hadn't, and therefore I didn't either.

I knew Bete after all. Knew how he thought, probably better than most of his own Familia members did.

Admittedly, seeing Lili's confidence wane at the single word spoken by the werewolf was rather painful in itself, but at the same time I really didn't want to pick a fight with him. Not when I was so goddamn glad to see him.

Still, something needed to be done, and luckily enough I knew how to speak his language.

So without further prompting I grabbed a hold of Lili by the scruff of her baggy, hooded top. She went completely still, momentarily reminding me of how kittens reacted when they were carried in a similar way by their parents, which was a kind of odd not to mention slightly messed up comparison now that I thought about it.

I deposited her at the Loki-Familia table, right next to Finn, before sitting down myself to the left of Bete.

This would be my very first meeting with the _Loki Familia_ of this time, and I was going to leave a bloody _glorious_ impression.

* * *

"What?" Bete asked bewildered.

"I said, she's not weak." The stranger repeated, nodding his head towards the girl in question.

She was the one he'd bumped into by mistake before, and also the one who hadn't had the guts to speak back to him. The cowardly pushover.

It was rather clear she hadn't chosen herself to sit down at their table. In fact, she clearly didn't want to be anywhere near their table, avoiding eye-contact with _everything,_ huddling into herself, looking as if she wanted to sink into the floor and disappear.

Why was she at their table then? It was all thanks to _this_ white haired bastard, who'd quite literally appeared out of nowhere only to unceremoniously plop himself and the girl down at _their_ table, without even asking for permission first.

Not missing a beat, the white-haired intruder continued. "You called Lili here a 'weakling' before, and well... I felt the need to interrupt because," he smiled pleasantly, "that's just not true."

"I'm sure Bete didn't mean anything by it." Loki started, her eyes, normally almost completely closed had opened just a fraction, silently studying the new arrival.

Bete, in response, growled angrily, sending the intruder a warning look. "I just call it as I see it... a weakling will always remain a weakling after all." Not always true admittedly, but he wanted to rile the newcomer up. See what his deal was. "Who are you anyway."

Contrary to Bete's expectations the boy didn't appear affected by the words at all, and seemed practically unaware of the glare he was sent, completely ignoring it. In fact, the smile he wore on his lips only seemed to grow.

"Oh, my apologies. I haven't introduced myself, have I? I am Bell. Bell Cranel. Just a humble, third class adventurer, currently partnered to Lili here. She's my supporter." He extended his hand, wide smile still in place. Bete shook it, although he made sure to squeeze a little harder than strictly necessary. He was awarded with a slight cringe, as Cranel furrowed his eyebrows in pain, although curiously the grin on his face didn't lessen in the slightest...

It was honestly a little unnerving.

"And in regards to you calling things as you see them, perhaps you simply saw things incorrectly." The statement was directed towards Bete. In fact, Cranel seemed to completely ignore the others.

He continued. "So what exactly do you think makes Lili a weakling?"

"Oh, please. Just look at her now." The werewolf sneered towards the girl in question, sitting hunched, avoiding eye-contact. "I'm not sure why you dragged her over here but she's clearly terrified. Won't even look me in the eyes... the definition of a coward." He turned back to Bell. "Even before when I bumped into her she did nothing but apologize. Fucking pathetic."

Was he being antagonistic? Yes. Yes he was.

Overly so? He didn't think so.

He was getting tired of this conversation after all, and would rather resolve it with his fists.

Not that a Level 2 would be able to put up much of a fight in the first place though.

This was most likely the case of a 'warrior' from the outside, entering Orario for the first time. He'd said he was new to Orario after all.

Assuming he reached Level 2 outside Orario he'd have been one of the most powerful mortals there were, while inside this city on the other hand; at the heart of the world, he was just one of many.

He'd quite likely never encountered anyone stronger than him, after reaching Level 2, and therefore couldn't properly comprehend the astronomical difference between a Level 2 and 5.

He probably just wanted to test himself against Orario's best and brightest, and would likely stand down the moment he realized how utterly outclassed he was.

"So you want her to stand up for herself more?" The boy – the _brat_ – practically crooned. "See? I knew you were a good guy."

Bete flinched back in his chair as if he'd been struck. That... that was not the reaction he'd been looking for. Why was it so hard to start a fight?

And what was up with that smile? It had been present since the very start of this conversation. It was honestly freaking him out!

"T-that's not what I meant!" Curse his stuttering.

Of course it was in this moment Loki decided to join the conversation... so to speak. Her laughter echoed throughout the diner, light and genuine.

"He's got you pegged there, Bete." She slammed her palm into the table several times. "You're such a tsundere."

Tsundere? the way she said it suggested it was an insult, but the aggravating part was that he had no idea what it actually meant. In fact, he'd been called it by other gods as well, but no mortal seemed to understand the expression. It was one of those things the gods guarded close to their chests, yet at the same time didn't _seem_ like that big of a secret considering how gung-ho they all were in regards to the expression.

Loki couldn't really have expected confirmation but received some from Bell, anyway."Isn't he though..?" It was more of a statement than a question; acting as if he actually knew what it meant.

"I have your orders here, Bell." A waitress who seemed familiar with Bell interrupted their conversation, placing the plate in front of him, before depositing a similar dish in front of the supporter.

Bete could admit it smelled nice.

"Sitting at the Loki-Familia table now uh?" The waitress addressed the white haired boy with a smile.

"Yeah... sorry, Syr. Should have informed you we switched."

She giggled, and while Bete normally hated such feminine, weak sounding laughs, he could admit it had an attractive, sensual quality to it. It probably helped that the girl in question was quite 'sensually' attractive in terms of looks too.

She turned, making it clear she was addressing the table as a whole. "Oh, don't worry. Your white hair is quite easy to spot in a crowd. I was just surprised you were acquainted with the Loki Familia."

Bete couldn't help but scoff, and Bell actually scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Seemed he wasn't _completely_ without shame. "Well, we weren't acquainted before, but... we're certainly acquainted now."

Loki was the one to scoff at this, although it might just as well have been a laugh. She was smiling all the way, after all.

"See..?" Bell asked, pointing at the goddess in question. "Loki- _chan_ agrees with me."

A sudden silence settled over the table. Even the rest of the patrons quieted as they too seemed to notice the sudden pressure, originating from the goddess whose background appeared to grow darker. Was that real or just an illusion?

Most gods would probably consider having the _chan_ suffix attached to the end of their names by a stranger to be quite the insult. Case and point; Loki was no longer smiling.

"Well, I should get back to my… my work..." The waitress mumbled as she quickly left, staring forward with the kind of intensity only someone determined not to look behind them could manage.

For once, Bete couldn't fault her hasty retreat. Loki could be quite terrifying when she was angry, after all.

"You're being awfully familiar right now, don't you think, _boy?_ " The pressure mounted as the goddess got out of her chair, somehow managing to tower over the rest of them.

And then someone laughed.

It had been so sudden Bete wasn't even sure where it had come from, and frankly didn't sound like the kind of noise that should have been made in such a tense atmosphere. Simply put, it sounded wholly inappropriate.

Loki's eyes were wide and uncomprehending as she stared to the side. Following her look, Bete found Ais at the end of it, looking down into the ground, avoiding eye-contact while covering her mouth with one hand as if holding back a cough... or a laugh.

No. Surely not. It had to have been someone else, right? Right?!

"Ais?" Loki questioned, looking absolutely gobsmacked.

"I'm sorry... It's just" her voice sounded strained, "he called you _chan!_ " The laugh she'd been _clearly_ holding back was set free, spreading throughout the diner unimpeded due to the previous heavy silence... which suddenly didn't seem all that heavy anymore.

Next to her Tiona also burst out laughing. "A stranger we don't even know, who's probably younger than all of us, just called you _chan,_ Loki-sama." She pointed at the goddess. "You're right, that _is_ funny!"

It was? Bete certainly didn't think so.

Either way, the laughter appeared contagious as even Finn couldn't help but cover his mouth. He didn't actually laugh, having the willpower to hold himself back, but it sure looked like it was a close thing.

"Oh, my apologies, that was rude of me." Bete turned back to the intruder, who frankly didn't seem apologetic at all. He was focused on Ais, and looked awfully pleased with himself for some reason, as if making Ais laugh was some kind of grand accomplishment... which it kind of was, Bete grudgingly had to admit.

Similarly, Loki had visibly cooled down, silently studying the girl. The affectionate look she sent was hard to miss. It was no secret Loki cared a great deal for 'the sword princes' as she'd undoubtedly dubbed Ais, herself. She cared for all her Familia members a great deal, of course, but Ais had always held a special place in her heart, and Bete could understand where she came from.

It was hard to dislike the girl. _Really_ hard.

Loki turned back to Cranel. "Oh well... normally I wouldn't have let that slide," she huffed to herself, "but you made my Ais-chan laugh, so I'll forgive you."

"You're to kind." He honestly sounded oddly sincere, for once. Huh... "It's just... I wasn't sure what to call you since I'm pretty sure you would appreciate even less what my goddess usually calls you."

Loki raised a curious eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

He placed one hand beneath his jaw, humming to himself. "Well 'Pettanko _ **'**_ for one. Think I've heard 'Boobless _ **'**_ too. Although I believe her favorite is 'Washboard'."

This time it was Bete's turn to make a scene, spitting out his drink, although luckily without hitting anyone. Didn't stop his goddess from giving him the stink eye though.

"Oh, I see." She didn't sound amused, but considering how she normally reacted when people – gods or mortals – commented on her insignificant bust, he honestly expected more of a reaction, and obviously a whole lot more anger. "So you're Hestia's brat, uh?" Hestia? He'd never heard of her, but then again pretty much all gods seemed to know each other. "Guess I should have expected that from the way you're acting. Just as clueless as your goddess..."

"Oh, I wouldn't call myself clueless." He furrowed his brows as if he was deep in thought. "I'm more like... free-spirited? Yeah! Let's go with free-spirited."

"You know. The fact that you're Hestia's only makes me dislike you more." Bete shifted uncomfortably. Loki was now grinning herself. There was nothing weird about that in and of itself, but Bete couldn't help but notice it had a predatory quality it normally lacked.

He genuinely didn't want to know why.

"Perhaps you should be careful not to irritate me further. Even my benevolence and patience has a limit." Personally, Bete didn't think his goddess had much of either.

"Mmh, yeah. You're probably right." Cranel nodded in apparent understanding. And it must have been _apparent_ understanding, because otherwise he wouldn't have continued. "So, in terms of affectionate nicknames; would you prefer Lo-chan, or Washboard?"

* * *

What was he doing!? No, scratch that; why was he doing it? What was he trying to accomplish?

Up until this point, Lili had believed she understood Bell Cranel. Understood how he thought.

Turns out she didn't, like, _at all._

How was it possible that she'd so completely misjudged him? She'd seen they way he fought in the Dungeon; seen the way he'd thrown himself into throngs of monsters, his sword nothing but a streak of silver as he effortlessly cut apart any threat within range.

He never hesitated either. Never stopped and considered if he was actually strong enough to tackle a collection of monsters. Even in the presence of Purple Moths he never showed even a hint of uncertainty.

Purple Moths weren't such a big deal alone, but together with other monsters they posed quite the threat. They specialized in poisonous attacks after all, meaning if you left them alone they would wear you down over time.

Aiming for the quick, agile flyers were easier said than done, however, when surrounded by larger, more physically powerful monsters… For this reason most adventurers agreed the only viable option for dealing with the moths were to defeat them at a distance using ranged weapons, before you could be swamped by the rest of the Dungeons many residents.

Cranel didn't seem to care much for this strategy, however, seeing as he completely ignored it. The first time their three-man party encountered a group of War Shadows along with half a dozen Purple Moths she'd almost had a heart attack when Cranel, completely without a strategy, charged them.

She'd pulled out her crossbow, thinking she needed to deal with the moths before they could join the War Shadows, while at the same time contemplating whether maybe she should just make a run for it and leave the two to their fate.

She needn't have worried. She never even got the chance to fire her crossbow once.

The closest moth, several meters up in the air, was the first to be impaled. Cranel had thrown his weapon like a spear, effectively abandoning it... for half a second.

Lili had no idea how he managed to move so fast but by the time the impaled moth reached ground-level he'd already grabbed a hold of the handle sticking out of it, pulling his weapon free without missing a beat, before continuing his assault. Any moth entering throwing distance met the same fate.

Such advanced swordsmanship and confidence – having the ability to abandon one's weapon because you knew with absolute certainty you could reclaim it at any time – was hard to come by.

Cranel was clearly an elite. The best amongst all of Orario's third class adventurers with the skill-set of a level three; or at least this had been her assumption so far, but she'd started thinking the reason behind his reckless fighting-style had a far more simple explanation.

It would explain why he was currently butting heads with the _Loki Familia_ , one of the most powerful Familia's in all of Orario.

Maybe he was just plain crazy. Downright suicidal with an obscene amount of luck. She couldn't think of any other reason to explain the hole he was currently digging himself into, all the while wearing a huge smile.

* * *

Oh, how I'd missed her. How I longed to see her again.

After Ais's death I'd been inconsolable. I had felt like life no longer had a purpose.

I'd chased after her for such a long time, and when I finally became strong enough to stand beside her as an equal, I'd lost her... just like that.

After her death I'd stopped caring. I lost hope. Stopped believing the forces we faced could actually be defeated. Honestly, it was foggy at this point, the memory and feeling somehow blurred, but I'm pretty sure I'd wanted to die myself. I'd thrown myself against foes that rightfully should have killed me, but through pure luck – and I mean Luck, the type provided by my first Development Ability – I came out on the winning side, life still intact. But yes; I'd sought death. Wanted to give my life for the 'cause', if only to end the pain I was in.

Ironically, Hestia's death, had pulled me out of this. Made me realize that while I no longer felt my life mattered, I still had plenty of other things I didn't want to lose. I'd decided to continue living, if only for _their_ sake.

Looking back, the mindset I'd maintained at the time hadn't exactly been healthy, but it had gotten me through the harder years at least. Kept me fighting.

And now I was sitting in front of my first love again.

Did I still love her? It was hard to tell. I hadn't considered romance for a very, very long time, and I wasn't sure I wanted to attempt it now. Somehow felt like I didn't have the time.

Either way, love or not, my affection for the girl hadn't lessened in the slightest. I hadn't expected her to laugh in response to my barbs with Loki, but I was so, so glad she had.

She had a beautiful laugh; I'd almost forgotten what it sounded like. It was just so… so genuine; light and rich in a way you couldn't properly explain with words.

I'd wanted to envelop her in a hug right then and there, and probably would have if it weren't for the fact she'd likely react far worse than any other member of the Loki Familia. Ais wasn't big on physical contact. She pretty much only allowed the amazon twins, Lefiya, and Loki (in small doses) to touch her.

Loki's words pierced my thoughts. "Perhaps you should be careful not to irritate me further. Even my benevolence and patience has a limit." Personally I didn't think she had much of either, but decided to keep that thought to myself.

Not that her ruthlessness was anything negative. In fact, I held her in quite a high regard. She was one of the few gods I actually, _genuinely_ respected.

Of course there were other gods I respected as well, Miach and Takemikazuchi high on that list, but in the end I didn't hold them in any higher regard than, let's say, Welf or Lili. The fact they were gods mattered not in the slightest, because in the end they were just people. People with impossibly long lifespans, yes, but people still.

My respect for Loki had long been in development, but it wasn't until the very last years of the war I realized what a special existence she was.

Most gods decided to visit the lower world because they were bored; because they wanted excitement and, most importantly, change. They wanted to escape their rigid and unchanging nature, and Loki was no different.

Unlike most other gods however, Loki actually changed together with the world around her, instead of simply watching the change like most gods did.

It was an established fact gods didn't change. They learned to avoid and circumvent past mistakes to a degree, yes, but they never changed; never learned. Not really.

You'd have thought after what was essentially an eternal rivalry, Ishtar would have learned that her usual methods couldn't hope to defeat Freya. That she'd have learned not to pointlessly antagonize the goddess of beauty. That she'd have seen it coming when Freya decided she'd had enough, and been more prepared to fight, or – more realistically – flee when she realized the other goddess intended to remove her from the playing field entirely.

She hadn't though, because even after an eternity she hadn't learned. She hadn't changed in the slightest.

Similarly, Hestia hadn't learned to be a kind, understanding soul. Her personality hadn't been shaped by time but had instead _always_ been the way it was now; because that was the kind of god she was. As the goddess of family and home it was in her nature to be kind and understanding.

The same was true for Miach and Takemikazuchi.

Gods were eternal and unchanging, and therefore didn't learn; couldn't learn.

Except for Loki. She was an anomaly, and oh so special because of it.

Loki used to be as arrogant and uncaring as any god. It was apparently a common occurrence for her back in Heaven to challenge other gods to death matches.

She used to be impulsive and manipulative, and she still was, but she also used to be cruel with a sadistic streak a mile wide... which she also still kind of was, but only towards her enemies.

She arrived at the lower world expecting to find excitement and some release from her boring, unchanging existence, and instead found something she'd likely never possessed before.

A family.

People who cared about her, and whom she cared about in return. For the first time in her everlasting life, she'd found something she cared about more than herself, and she was willing to fight tooth and nail to keep it.

Apollo had always been egotistical and childishly possessive. Freya, fickle and irresponsible. Ganesh, honest and strong-willed. And Loki, cold and callous... until one day she wasn't any more.

Loki had done the impossible.

She'd changed.

Not that her sudden shift in behavior made her any less dangerous, though.

I would even go as far as to say she was the most dangerous amongst all the gods, even more so than Ikelos or even Freya.

Loki was a perceptive not to mention resourceful goddess, with an intellect that far surpassed any other god's, even Hermes, and with an S-ranked Familia at her beck and call she had a full outlet for that intelligence.

Back in my time, when her Familia was still part of the resistance, the length Loki had gone to assure the safety of her children had genuinely frightened me.

Thinking back on the weapons of mass-destruction she'd created still sent a strange shiver down my spine, giving me both a sense of fear along with unyielding respect.

In all honesty she was likely the very last person I wanted to get on the wrong side of... which – if you didn't know Loki as well as I did – was why some would have likely found my current actions contradictory, thinking I was actively antagonizing her.

There was a very important difference between challenging Loki and challenging _the Loki Familia,_ however. One was downright suicidal, while the other – I'd learned from experience – was kind of fun.

She essentially didn't take potshots at herself particularly seriously. In fact, Loki had been one of very few gods whose opinion of me actually improved after I outsmarted her... but that was a story for another time.

Either way, what I was trying to convey was the fact that – no matter how contradictory it might sound – by far the most effective way of bounding with Loki was to establish yourself as an adversary of sorts. One that challenged Loki, goddess of mischief, _not_ Loki, goddess of chaos and destruction.

That was the goal here after all. To gain allies.

And going by Loki's challenging – but most importantly, playful – smirk, I couldn't help but think I was succeeding.

* * *

 _ **Not sure if valentines day is even a thing in the Danmachi-verse but I figured; what the hell? Why not?**_

 _ **So after asking you guys what to do with Ais, and getting a ton of good ideas, introducing her like this might seem a little... I don't know. Boring? Which is because I haven't really revealed what her purpose will actually be in the story yet.**_

 _ **I've come up with a good idea though, and ironically not one you guys came up with either (unless I missed some review somewhere). This purpose won't be revealed until later though; pretty much towards the end of this arc.**_

 _ **And before you guys start raging at me; no, I'm not gonna pair Bete with Ais.**_

* * *

 _ **So yeah. Sorry for being gone for such a long time... again. School's been a bitch and when it hasn't I just haven't felt like writing.**_

 ** _Anyway, I expected this interaction to be just a little under 3000 words. I mean, it's mostly Bell and Loki talking to each other, so it shouldn't be much longer than that, right? Wrong! The chapter ended up reaching almost 6000 words. Ugh._**

 ** _It's almost amazing how bad I am at predicting chapter length._**

 _ **But on other news I have a Beta now called** **FirstTimeStoryTeller.**_ ** _Woho! I'm moving up in the world._**


	12. Calm, part 2

Ironically, proof by induction is proof that math can be really, really cool.

* * *

 **Chapter 12 – Calm, part 2**

 **Posted: 15-12-2019**

 **Beta: FirstTimeStoryTeller**

* * *

"Good job today." I said, as the three of us emerged out of the Dungeon. Lili looked up at me, and for once the smile she wore appeared a little less strained; a little more genuine.

Guess she was warming up to me.

"You as well." Welf patted my shoulder, while at the same time reaching over to ruffle Lili's head. She noticed the movement and expertly avoided the smith's hand stepping out of his reach, and in doing so moving closer to me.

She huffed irritably as my hand was buried beneath tuffs of her wild hair. "Don't pat Lili's head like that! She isn't a kid anymore." She did sound indignant, but there was no real heat in her voice. I also couldn't help noting her body language was fairly relaxed, and that – when she crossed her arms and turned away from me with what must have been quite the pout going by Welf's own grin – she no longer seemed too bothered to turn her back to me. Back when we first met she made sure to keep me in her periphery at all times, so this was definitely an improvement.

A part of me was cheering at the fact she now felt comfortable enough around the two of us to take part in friendly banter – which genuinely didn't feel forced or acted out, I mean – but at the same time I couldn't help but note she still, from time to time, sneaked glances at the Hestia Blade as well as what was undoubtedly a magic-sword Welf had taken to carry with him on his back.

Lili's life had so far been one massive collection of hardships and downright despair, and I wasn't naive enough to think the tiny amount of kindness I'd shown her was anywhere near enough to fully gain her trust.

She undoubtedly still looked for wealthy targets, and right now Welf and I were both prime candidates.

I was honestly kind of confused as to why she hadn't made a move yet. Both Welf and I possessed something worth a whole lot more than any Level 2 should have been able to afford, so what was she waiting for? Why was she stalling?

I'd added her eventual 'betrayal' into my calculations. The best outcome would be if things played out like they had the first time.

The biggest problem with this was that back then, Lili had decided to steal my weapon, but now she had a far more attractive target, or at least as far as she knew. The Hestia Blade might have been essentially invaluable, as it would grow in strength with its wielder, but to Lili it probably just looked like a superbly well-made blade, while a Crozzo magic-sword was sure to be worth at least 100 million valis to a collector.

At this point, she was far more likely to go for Welf than me. Was that why she was still sticking to our party? She'd seen me fight, so it made sense she would wait until I was out of the way before making her move, assuming I wasn't the target.

Huh... I was somewhat surprised to note how gung-ho I was about this whole thing. Lili had betrayed me at one point after all, stealing the Hestia-knife, and then leaving me to my fate.

Of course, she'd had her circumstances; circumstances I now knew all about, but looking back, I hadn't back then. And yet I'd forgiven her.

I couldn't help but wonder if I'd been as forgiving had the same thing happened now. I had a select few individuals in this city who mattered more to me than... well... pretty much anything. Lili was one of these individuals, but that was only because of everything we'd been through in the past life.

If I'd never met Lili though? Or if someone else ended up betraying me now, like she had the first time?

Would I have forgiven them, or would I just have cut my losses?

"Same time tomorrow?" The smith asked, his voice cutting through my thoughts. It was late in the evening, the three of us having spent almost five hours in the Dungeon.

"Yes, that sounds good."

Having established a meeting time the next day, I waved goodbye to the two of them.

Hestia would finish dinner soon, and I was starving.

* * *

Orario had a ton of little alleys and back-streets, crisscrossing all over the city. This was doubly true for Daedalus street, the district essentially made up _entirely_ of such pathways.

Daedalus street also just happened to be situated right between Hestia's church and the Dungeon. In my past life, I tended to avoid the street entirely when heading for the Dungeon, walking around it due to the rumors circulating in regards to its labyrinthine status; it was said that whomever should enter will never find their way out again.

This was utter poppycock of course, as plenty of people lived in the area, but due to all of them being members of the poor and broken, it was not particularly well liked by the rest of Orario's inhabitants... with a few exceptions.

Now, on the other hand, I cared nothing for the rumors, quickly making my way through the district. I gained almost 10 minutes by doing so, after all, so circling around the district seemed kind of pointless.

One thing most didn't know however, was the amount of crime committed in the area, or to be more precise, how much crime was committed without being reported.

The district was essentially Orario's underbelly, after all, and as such the city authorities didn't care much if some random vagabond was jumped for his empty wallet, or just... disappeared.

That wasn't to say you were sure to get robbed if you entered the area. The crime-rate might have been higher here compared to other parts of Orario, but this was still relative. The chances of getting jumped were still miniscule, which was why I was genuinely surprised when a silvery blade flashed in front of my face, seeking to – if not outright decapitate me – do some serious damage.

I cursed, ducking under the swing while doing my best to reorient myself so I could get a proper look at my assailant.

A whistling sound was the only warning I got, as what couldn't be anything other than a sharp projectile hurled towards my unprotected back. I managed to get my sword up in time to deflect the arrow, which in turn left me open for the follow up attack performed by the first assailant.

Having used the Hestia-blade to block an arrow in the opposite direction, I was in no position to deflect the swing, and was therefore forced to bend under the attack, while at the same time avoiding another wayward arrow by spinning in the air, seeking to bury itself in my thigh.

This couldn't go on. I needed to create some distance between me and this guy, to be able to properly analyze the situation. I didn't think he was a superior opponent but with multiple archers backing him, getting a proper strike in was easier said than done.

Taking a page from Ais' book, when next he lunged in I spun, performing a move I'd seen the sword princess pull off on multiple occasions. I flew overhead, completely circumventing the attack. I had a moment to revel in schadenfreude as an expression of surprise overtook his masked features, before my dirt-covered boots slammed into his face. I pushed back, momentarily stunning the bastard while at the same time creating some much needed distance between me and him.

I skid to a halt a few meters away, stepping aside to evade a pair of arrows while at the same time deflecting a third.

Three archers, hunching in three completely opposite directions from my location, meaning they were all equally close to my position, which to be clear, wasn't very close. Whom I assumed to be the leader, the one who'd initiated the attack, was carrying a smallish broadsword. Smallish in the sense it could be wielded one handedly by a decently strong individual while still technically counting as a two handed weapon, due to its long sword-handle and thick base.

That armor though. My senses were telling me he was a low Level 3, yet the protective gear covering his frame was the kind of armor you might expect a first class adventurer to carry around.

That these people had managed to ambush me though... and that teamwork... seriously... they were most definitely professionals.

The old me might have demanded they tell me who they are, and what they wanted. He would have probably stopped the fight at this point in order to better appeal to their better halves.

I wasn't that naive boy any more though. These people had initiated the attack with the intent to kill, was clearly far more capable than their Levels would suggest – the three archers all being top Level two's – and was actively hiding their faces behind masks.

They were assassins. Couldn't really be anything else, meaning any attempt to reason with them would be met with steadfast silence, and further attempts at my life.

Better I be the one to further escalate the situation if that was their goal anyway.

Pushing off the ground, I charged the hidden, hooded figure on my left. Should deal with the archers first, as I didn't like my odds fighting against a Level three with long range support.

He knocked an arrow and fired, aiming for my head. deflecting the arrow would have been childishly easy, if it weren't for the two other arrows which would be heading for my position any minute now... only they didn't. Huh...? Why? Combining arrow fire would obviously be the easiest way of dealing with me.

Either way I lazily deflected the arrow.

And then everything went white.

I grunted, stumbling backwards as my ears rang and senses swam.

Shit. Attaching a flash-bang grenade to an arrow? Seriously? What the fuck?

What was worse was the fact I'd actually fallen for it, but in my defense I hadn't needed to worry about brightness in general in a long, long time.

Some believed your eyes became more sensitive as you leveled up, and while that was technically true – your overall senses improving – they also became more... tolerant in general. At Level 2, one could look directly into the sun without too much issue, and at Level 5, loud noises quite literally couldn't harm your eardrums any more.

At my strongest, light just hadn't been an issue because anything bright enough to leave me blinded would have also been hot enough to burn my face off.

This did not hold true now however. As a measly level two, the flash-bang had left me completely blinded, _and_ deaf.

Through the ability my Falna had granted I could still sense my surroundings at least, which was why when I felt a relatively powerful aura approaching at disconcerting speeds I threw myself to the side. I never heard the swing, but I was sure something long and likely sharp had missed my nose by an inch as the wind-pressure slapped me in the face.

I felt the panic rising but pushed it down ruthlessly. I hadn't felt this helpless in a long, long time, and it was bringing up bad memories.

I wasn't helpless though. Losing my senses might have been scarier than I was willing to admit, but I still had my sixth sense, and no one could take it from me.

Admittedly I couldn't sense the sword but I could sense the person wielding it, which was how I knew to duck when next he was poised to strike.

Again the wind pressure tussled my hair, and again I moved back, preparing for the next blow.

I could do this. My eyesight wouldn't be returning anytime soon and neither would my hearing, but using my other senses I could survive for long enough for them to at least become remotely usable again.

Pain raced down my shoulder as something pierced it, getting lodged in the bone and dramatically worsening my range of movement.

 _But I can't sense arrows..._ I lamented, holding back the scream threatening to break out of my lungs.

The swordsman had backed off, probably thinking the archers could more easily take me down...

He wouldn't be wrong.

I raised my arms in an attempt to protect my head and therefore wasn't prepared when what had to be an arrow buried itself in my calf, forcing me down on one knee.

It wasn't only that. I didn't lower myself only because my lower leg was pierced, but also because my body felt all around weaker and... sluggish.

Poison. Of course. The arrows must have been laced with it, and probably not the kind that immobilized but the kind that killed.

And I was tired. So, so, tired. My whole body hurt. I just wanted to lay down and rest for a moment. I knew I couldn't; that it was the poison talking, but the impulse was still very much there.

Guess I didn't have much of a choice at this point. I didn't want to reveal my cards this early, but I'd die if I didn't.

Heat rose at my core as I prepared the spell, blood covering my frame hissing angrily before evaporating. Really, I was glad I still had enough presence of mind to utilize magic, but I couldn't help but wonder if I'd be strong enough to make it to the healers on my own once this was over and done with.

Something moved. Far faster than any Level 3 – or any arrow for that matter – had the right to. At this rate it would hit me before I could activate the spell. I would be dead before I hit the ground.

It didn't touch me though. Instead it moved past; with such speed it almost blew me of my feet, and I was sure that had my eyes been working properly I would have had to shield my eyes due to the cloud of smoke which had undoubtedly been created in its wake.

The new arrival – whose presence stood out to my senses like a miniature sun – headed towards the swordsman who'd caused me so much trouble, before just as quickly returning, stopping right in front of me.

I raised my sword in defense but the person quite effortlessly battered it aside. Before I knew it I was being pushed back, until I stood with my back to a wall.

A strong but surprisingly soft hand was placed on my chin, forcing me to tilt my head, or else have my jaw snap. A liquid was poured into my ear, followed by the familiar stinging sensation of a healing potion doing its job, and a very high leveled one going by the speed with which my hearing returned.

"Here," a feminine voice spoke, "your other ear." The liquid poured in, and I sighed contentedly as the constant ringing sound lessened somewhat. My sight had also returned, or at least to a large enough degree that I saw more than just a blur.

"Ryuu...?" I half asked, half coughed.

The stoic elf nodded as she deflected an arrow without even looking. "I am glad you are okay, Cranel-san. Although in this case 'okay' is more of a relative term I suppose."

Yeah... I probably looked like shit.

It was hard to focus but I could more or less make out the facial features of the elf in front of me. She didn't look scared, or worried, but just plain pissed.

I looked over her shoulder, to the enemy swordsman who no longer looked to hot. He was still standing, but he had a deep, ugly gash running down his frame, starting at the shoulder and moving all the way down to his hip.

Had Ryuu done that during the few seconds she'd been away from me? And with what appeared to be a particularly pointy rock, too? Damn, that was impressive.

For the first time since making his presence known the swordsman spoke. "We're retreating." Was all he said, his voice artificial – likely changed using an item or a spell – and without hesitation the archers put their weapons away, starting to move in opposite directions.

 **"You think I'll just let you go?"** The simple statement was followed by a wave of killing intent, and even though it wasn't directed at me I couldn't help but stumble back a little, unconsciously pushing myself closer to the wall.

The attackers – all of them – also stopped in their tracks, taking the full brunt of the elf's presence.

This time it was one of the archers that spoke, his voice too being altered using an unknown method. "Are you sure you have the time to chase us down? You might be fast but you'll only be able to capture one of us." That was probably true, as by the time Ryuu subdued one of them, the rest – who undoubtedly would have moved in completely different directions – would have already reached the streets and blended in with the rest of the pedestrians. "And then of course there is this..." he held out one of his arrows, before pointing it at me. "The poison will have already reached his lungs and most other organs. He won't survive much longer unless you get him to a healer."

As if to puncture the statement all strength left my legs and I slid down the wall. Shit, I was already losing consciousness. The knowledge that Ryuu was here seemed to have drained me of most of the adrenaline I'd built up during the fight, leaving me weak and in a whole lot of pain.

A moment later darkness claimed my vision and mind.

* * *

Fever dreams. As a kid they were amongst the worst things I knew. Of course I wasn't sick very often, but the few times I came down with something I always tended to have the same dreams, although changing slightly as I grew older.

Now I obviously didn't have a fever, but whatever the poison was doing to my body it appeared to have left me in a similar state, because the dreams my mind conjured were far, far to familiar.

Blue and green paint trickling down the wall, some wheat you could make bread with, along with a far too bright street lamp placed out in the middle of nowhere.

The images were blurry and downright disorientating, and also terrifying in a way I felt they shouldn't have been...

God, I hated fever dreams.

Then maybe I should wake up?

I wouldn't have been able to before when I was having those terrifying dreams but now that I knew I was asleep I should be able to force my sluggish body awake.

Normally I probably wouldn't have, as my body needed the rest, but considering how close to death I'd been it felt prudent to check my surroundings. I might have trusted Ryuu with my life, but I wasn't foolish enough to think she'd always be strong enough to protect it... well, she shouldn't have had an issue with the assassins, but I felt I should still check just to be safe.

Plus, the fact that I was capable of reasoning the way I was doing now – completely aware even in this dream-like state – probably meant the poison had all but left my body.

Even after having made up my mind, pushing my consciousness to the surface was a frustratingly slow process.

After a while however, some of the fog clouding my mind lessened, and I was able to reattain control over a limited part of my body's main motor-functions.

Limited, in the sense I could technically move any limb I desired but doing so required a tremendous amount of energy and will-power.

I grunted, pushing myself up into a sitting position, using far more energy than I felt was at all appropriate, even if I'd been in a coma-like state even moments before.

"Well, well." It was interesting I immediately knew whom the voice belonged to, even in this addled state. Guess I'd just grown used to it over the years. "Look who's back from the dead."

I turned to Syr. Her smile was teasing but I could notice an undercurrent of worry in her eyes.

Ryuu pushed up my pillow against the backrest, allowing me to relax my spine while still sitting upright. "You should not move around too much," she said, "the poison should have mostly left your body by now, but you're still weak. Here..." she pushed a glass of water into my face, causing me to momentarily gag. Swallowing turned out to be one of those advanced motor-functions my body wasn't quite ready for yet, and I ended up coughing back up over half the liquid.

"O-oh-sorry..." the elf momentarily blanched, before being saved by Syr who took the glass, placing it down on a table next to my bed within reaching distance.

It was rare seeing Ryuu so clumsy, yet at the same time I _had_ seen her like this before. She might have been a warrior who would have probably become a first class adventurer by now if it weren't for the fact she couldn't get her Status updated, but when it came to taking care of other people... she was just awful. She was just a little too hands on. Pushy, almost, in her will to help, and quite overbearing as a result.

"Where... am I?" I didn't recognize the interior. It obviously wasn't a hospital. Honestly, it looked like a normal home, decorated with normal cozy things like the brown, fluffy couch set off to the side, or the reddish carpet draped across the closest wall, not to mention the decorations fit quite well with the overall structure of the house, made mostly out of wood.

"This would be my home." Syr spoke, gesturing around the apartment. "I had a few healing potions here already, so we didn't think it necessary to bring you to the local clinic."

I did my best to push myself into more of a sitting position so I was no longer leaning against the backrest. My shoulder and lower-back muscles stung a little as they strained to keep me upright. "How long have I been out?"

"Oh, just a few hours, give or take." Syr smiled. "Honestly, considering the condition you were in when Ryuu brought you here I expected you to be out for several days. I'm glad that wasn't the case."

 _Those potions,_ I thought as I looked down on my body, _they must have been quite expensive..._ I might have been covered in bandages but there was very little blood, which could really only mean one thing... My suspicions were confirmed when I lifted and pushed one of the bindings covering my shoulder to the side. The scar underneath looked red and angry, but it _was_ a scar, meaning it was no longer an open wound, left their by a poisoned arrow.

Any potion capable of healing such an injury in under a day must have been damn expensive. I would make sure to pay her back for it.

And also pay Ryuu back for saving my life... even though I was the one supposed to protect her.

Damn it.

To think I'd made such a blunder.

The worst part was that I was confident I would have come out on top, had I not allowed the flash-bang to blind me. I lost because of a single error in judgement, and the mistake almost cost me my life.

Had I become complacent? The past month I'd faced monsters whose average abilities surpassed my own by a small margin, all in an attempt to gather excelia as quickly as logically possible, but at the same time, one of the reasons I could pick apart these physically superior monsters with such efficiency was because their movements were so predictable. They were big and clumsy in a way humans were not, not to mention their mindless nature meant most of them had next to no strategy; with a few exceptions of course.

I'd grown so used to facing opponents whose actions I could foresee and predict that I'd been completely blindsided – quite literally – by a simple flash-bang.

Such a mistake was unacceptable, and with the downright god-like foes I'd faced so far getting killed by a bunch of assassins employing a couple petty tricks would have been downright embarrassing.

It was something I would have to rectify. As I grew in Levels such weaknesses would slowly vanish, but it would still take a while before my body acquired complete immunity against poisons, and got rid of other similar vulnerabilities.

I turned to Ryuu, who was studying me with an unreadable expression. "You saved my life," I said, acting as if she'd never done that before. She might not have in this time, but she sure as hell had in the other... more times than I could count. "I won't forget that. And you as well Syr. Those potions probably cost a fortune. I'll pay you back, I promise."

"No, no, Bell-kun. Those potions were used to save a life, which was exactly what they were made for... although if you _really_ want to pay me back, make sure to spend an inordinate amount of money the next time you visit the Hostess." At her cheeky smile I couldn't help but laugh a little myself.

Ryuu spoke up next. "I hate to ask you this, especially while you're still recovering, but who were those people..." she paused, as if having trouble putting together the next sentence, "or to be more precise. Why would a group of professional assassins target you?"

"I… I don't know." And I really didn't. Had Evilus learned of my intentions somehow? How? I hadn't made any real moves against them so far, so how could they possibly even know of my existence?

I shifted, moving the bed sheets covering my frame, before swinging my legs to the side, placing them on the floor.

I turned to Ryuu, wondering what her response would be, only to realize she wasn't even looking at me. In fact, she was looking into the ground with a remarkably red face. "U-um-Cranel-san..." she trailed off, sounding uncertain, before finishing with, "you should probably cover yourself..."

I looked at her in confusion, before turning to Syr instead. She, at least, was not averting her eyes, although she too had a light sheen of red coloring her cheeks.

No, hang on... she was looking at me... but not in the eyes. Her gaze was focused more on the lower part of my body for some reason.

I looked down.

Oh...

I was naked...

Well, shit.

Cursing silently to myself I grabbed the covers I'd so mindlessly cast aside and covered my lower body once more.

My mind must have been more muddled than I thought to not have noticed my bare state sooner. Bandages were covering a little under half my body but I had no actual clothes to speak of, and that included underwear.

My crotch was on complete display in other words, or had been before I covered myself.

Hiding my embarrassment in a cough, I turned a questioning eye towards Ryuu.

The look I sent her must have looked more accusing than intended, as she raised her arms in defense. "It's not like that!" She assured me, still red in the face. "Y-you were so injured, and we needed to treat you but your clothes were a bloody mess so we had no other choice but to strip you."

Well... yeah. That made sense. Although... "Okay, I can see how you might have needed to take my shirt and pants off, but as far as I remember I was never injured anywhere near the crotch, so was removing my underwear really necessary?" I asked, scratching my head awkwardly.

The wide-eyed look the normally stoic elf gave me in response genuinely threw me off. A moment later it morphed into an expression of shock and downright horror. It was the face of someone who just realized they'd been tricked into making a terrible and embarrassing mistake.

The elf turned to her friend with an accusing expression, making Syr look away with an innocent smile plastered on her lips.

It really looked innocent too...

That was something I'd come to learn about Syr. When she put actual effort into looking innocent, most of the time she wasn't, while, if she didn't bother looking guilt free she most likely was.

"Syr?" I tried for a frown, but I was pretty sure the expression was ruined somewhat as the corner of my mouth turned up slightly, watching Ryuu's scandalized look.

Huh. Cute wasn't normally a word I'd use to describe Ryuu. Other adjectives came to mind, such as 'headstrong', 'uncompromising', and 'all around awesome', but as I studied her expression – large, remarkably expressive eyes, a hint of red beneath her cheeks, along with a tiny pout – I couldn't help but think 'cute' fit the bill perfectly, along with 'endearing' and 'huggable'.

I returned my attention to Syr. "Why am I naked?"

It was a perfectly reasonable question. One Ryuu seemed to agree with wholeheartedly.

Syr crossed her arms, huffing to herself before muttering – wholly unrepentantly I might add – "What? I just wanted to see how big you were."

I just gaped.

Ryuu did too.

Did she actually just say that? It wasn't _that_ she said it either. Not really. It was that _she_ was the one who said it.

I'd never heard Syr be so crass my whole life. It just felt so completely out of character for her that it left me utterly flabbergasted.

Why?

What was different now? I'd been in this time for a little under a month. It was impossible I'd done something to alter her personality so drastically.

Unless...

She decided to change the way she acted in response to me, and perhaps she'd done the same in my previous life, altering her personality slightly in order to better appeal to a naive, more innocent version of myself?

It was the only explanation I could think of.

An awkward silence settled in the small room, although to be fair, me and Ryuu seemed to be the only ones who found the situation uncomfortable.

Syr just stood there, not a hint of shame on her face as she awaited my response.

Not that I knew how to respond but luckily, Ryuu had me covered. "Syr! Y-you can't just say something like that!"

The girl in question just rolled her eyes. She walked over to a chair, which I noticed for the first time had my underwear on them – and they were mine luckily, not touched by a drop of blood, the large teddy bear print clear at the front – along with a large, pink shirt and a pair of baggy pants.

"Here you go." She said, holding up the garments.

I sighed deciding to ignore her previous comment. "Thanks..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." She gestured to the shirt. "Pink isn't really your color, but I'm afraid it's the only thing of mine that would fit. We had to cut open your bloody clothes to get them off you, so I'm afraid simply cleaning them isn't an option."

"Right. I'll get dressed then."

...

I scratched my head, feeling the awkwardness returning. "Uhm..."

"Yes?" Syr's innocent smile was still very much in place... so of course I turned to the elf instead.

"Could you maybe give me some privacy?"

Ryuu's wide eyes signified she'd gotten the message. She grabbed a hold of her friend, half leading, half dragging her away.

Right before the door closed behind them, Syr turned back to me. "Cute underwear by the way. Love the bear-pattern."

Only embarrassment was left in her wake.

* * *

 **God, this chapter was irritably hard to write. Mostly due to that first segment. I mean, Bell obviously cares a great deal about Lili, but that doesn't change the fact that she's highly likely to betray him at any time. How is he supposed to feel? What's a natural reaction? Once I got past this point though the rest of the chapter was relatively easy to write.**

 **Also; before I've established that Bell has a bit of a sixth sense, essentially allowing him to** _ **sense**_ **the divine aura inside adventurers. So how was he ambushed? Why didn't he notice their presence, before they attacked?**

 **Well, originally I intended to make his sixth sense a passive type of ability, that is** _ **always**_ **active, but well, I realized that closes a lot of doors in terms of storytelling. Main characters who can't be ambushed are somewhat boring in my opinion (with a few exceptions of course).**

 **So, yeah, his ability to sense other people is technically passive, but only when he focuses on it. Think of it like smell. You only really react to strong smells, while weaker ones can go completely unnoticed, unless you're actively focusing on them.**

 **This is why Bell noticed Finn when he entered the Hostess of Fertility, but wasn't ready when being ambushed by these unknown attackers. Because they were much closer to his Level and therefore didn't seem noteworthy to his senses.**

 **Oh, and just to be clear. This was** _ **not**_ **that action I promised. That's still one or two chapters away.**

* * *

 **Finally, I'll be doing a bit of shameless self-advertising. I've released an original story on fictionpress called _A Stubborn Peasant's Legacy_ , and it'd mean a lot to me if you checked it out.**

 **I mean, you've followed this story until now, so you must like my writing style, so who is to say you wouldn't like an original story of mine? Especially as it's quite similar to this.**

 **Below is a snippet to get you interested:**

How was I going to handle this? I wanted to make an impression. But even more important was making sure she regretted having crossed me.

I wasn't being petty. I was simply responding in kind, teaching her the repercussions of her actions.

I'd spent days coming up with the perfect punishment, which I was now, at this very moment, going to mete out. This would be retribution. Punishment where punishment was due. A public, humiliating punishment.

I drew in breath, and then I hollered at the top of my lungs, voice high pitched. "Tessa! I looove yooouu!"

She turned to me, eyes wide and panicked. "Stop!" She hissed angrily. "Don't do that!" In my unbiased opinion, I couldn't help but think she looked absolutely adorable, heat radiating off her face, redder than a tomato.

Completely ignoring her plea to stop I continued with glee. "Your big brother loves you sooo much! So, so, sooo, much!"

I felt a rush of satisfaction as my baby sister looked around in a panic, probably hoping none of her future classmates had heard my passionate, and, most importantly, embarrassing shouting. No such luck however, as more than a few kids were looking at me – and by extension, her – with confusion and bewilderment.

I didn't care. It was my birthright. It was the birthright of all big brothers, anywhere and everywhere: the right to embarrass their littler siblings that was. It was a true privilege.

...

Okay. Maybe I was being a little petty, but she'd had it coming. Just two days before, she'd given me a cruel and cold wakeup call, and I meant that literally.

That's right; the little imp had dumped a bucket of ice cold water over my head... while I was sleeping.

Seriously. That had been a downright traumatizing way of waking up; soaking wet bed sheets sticking to my body like tape, feeling like I'd just gone skinny dipping in the middle of winter, and still only half awake.

After that, this was in all honesty a rather tame payback, all things considered.

And there was one of her teachers. Perfect! "Hello, Mrs. Amherst! I'm Tessa's big brother, Cadmus Grrhawkin," I pointed to my glowering sister, just to make sure the perplexed teacher knew with absolute certainty who I was referring to, "and I looove her more than anything in the world!"

Once upon a time I would have likely found this embarrassing myself, but at fifty years of age I'd learned to appreciate the simpler things in life. Well, I wasn't actually that old. Not technically at least. Not anymore.

It might have been more accurate to say I was a 17 year-old, with the mind of a man in his fifties. Or a fifty year-old, stuck in the body of a teenager. Take your pick.

I didn't really feel like an old man anymore though. Weak? Yes; ridiculously so in fact, but awake and revitalized in a way I must have once been, but could no longer remember.

I didn't possess a foreign body, either. No, it was my own, only 35 years younger than the one I'd grown accustomed to over the years.

My baby sister, in comparison, was just like the nine year-old little brat i remembered. God, I'd once thought she was such an irritating little tattletale. So annoying and whiny.

Now I felt like hugging her every time I saw her and always made sure to tuck her into bed when she went to sleep.

She wasn't supposed to be alive after all... or she was... in this time at least, but then she was supposed to die a few days after my 21 birthday.

I felt a pang of anger and regret at the memory, and then there was the guilt of course, worming its way into my gut like a starving tapeworm.

I wouldn't fail her. Not this time. Not again.

She would live a full, happy life, and if destiny, fate or any other bullshit cosmic power wanted to ruin her future, I would find it, and _break_ it into little pieces.

Right here, right now, however, she was alive and well, currently rushing towards the large school-building, trying to escape the attention my incessant shouting was garnering, most likely with a huge frown on her face.

I smiled and focused on the warmth bubbling up from within. I had a family now, and therefore more of a reason to fight than I'd ever had before.

I was just about to turn around and walk back home, having accomplished the task of taking my sister to school successfully, when she turned around right before the entrance, giving me a stern glare.

It was a frustrated and sullen look, and also one promising swift retribution.

 _Bring it on dear sister,_ I thought to myself with a huge, challenging smile on my face, once again focusing on the simpler things in life. _Bring. It. On._

 **Just Google "a stubborn peasant's legacy fictionpress" and it should be the first result to appear.**


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